• TotalEnergies skips Gabon labor dialogue session amid subcontracting dispute
• Union ONEP warns of possible strike, cites non-compliance with reforms
• Company remains key oil producer, paid $310M to state in 2023

TotalEnergies EP Gabon refused to attend the October session of Gabon’s Commission for Social Dialogue in the Hydrocarbon Sector, local media reported on Monday. The session, held from October 13 to 17, was intended to bring together major oil and gas players to address issues of subcontracting and precarious employment, which have been at the heart of recent labor disputes.

The French energy company’s absence has reignited debate over the Gabonese state’s ability to exert control over major foreign operators in its oil sector. In an October 10 letter, the National Organization of Petroleum Employees (ONEP) condemned the decision, calling TotalEnergies’ justification “dilatory.”

The dispute comes as Gabon’s transitional government, which is pursuing reforms in economic governance, seeks to build a formal framework for labor dialogue in a sector that accounted for about 50% of public revenue and 65% of exports in 2024, according to the World Bank.

Established by Presidential Decree No. 024/PT-PR on April 16, 2024, the Social Dialogue Commission operates under the presidency and is empowered to propose reforms on working conditions, subcontracting, and the status of outsourced staff. At its September 10, 2025 session, the body secured commitments from operators on subcontracting rules and the application of collective agreements, concluding two years of talks.

ONEP said TotalEnergies’ refusal to attend amounts to obstruction of the consultation process. The union formally placed the company on notice to implement the September resolutions and warned it could call a general strike before year-end if the firm fails to comply.

TotalEnergies EP Gabon remains one of the country’s top fiscal contributors. According to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) 2022 report published in 2024, the company paid roughly 194 billion CFA francs ($310 million) to the Gabonese state, up from 94 billion CFA francs ($150 million) in 2021,  about 12% of total extractive revenues.

EITI and World Bank data show the company produced an average of 15,800 barrels per day in 2023, or 7% of national output, compared with Perenco’s 42% and Assala Energy’s 24%. Although the Gabonese state owns 25% of TotalEnergies EP Gabon, strategic and financial decisions are made within the parent group.

The Presidency and Commission Chairman Arnaud Calixte Engandji-Alandji told local outlets that the commission’s work will continue as planned, in line with Decree No. 024/PT-PR, despite the absence of some operators.

Abdel-Latif Boureima