Petronas refutes blog’s allegation to axe 5,000 workers

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd has refuted a blog that the national oil company plans to terminate 5,000 employees next year.

It said on Saturday the group’s business review exercise conducted last year had affected 2,300 jobs as previously announced. 

“There is currently no plan to undertake another exercise of that scale,” as it refuted blogger Syed Akbar Ali on his “OutSyed the Box” site on Friday that Petronas planned to terminate 5,000 workers.

Syed Akbar had alleged the plan was another round of “staff reduction” exercise group-wide. 

Petronas said it was committed to building a high-performing work culture.

It pointed out manpower optimisation and functional streamlining “are an on-going process requiring greater capability and accountability as well as more stringent performance evaluation among its employees”.