By John Donovan
The Shell internal email printed below, supplied to us by a Shell insider, was circulated earlier today by David Brignac, an official at the Shell/Motiva Convent refinery, described as “a strategic site for Motiva and Shell”.
The content seems to be a badly botched attempt to deal with a number of rumors causing anxiety that has led to many postings by refinery employees on our Shell Blog facility.
Brignac appears to pour fuel on an already inflammatory situation by admitting that income performance at the refinery since July of 2008 has been dismal. Notably, he does not categorically deny that cost cutting is being undertaken to “better position the refinery for a sale”, conceding that “whenever we as a business entity are not generating income we are not in control of our own destiny”. This appears to be a clear warning to the refinery employees.