Occidental Petroleum Corp. said it will cut about 80 jobs fromits headquarters staff and transfer about 150 positions to arecently formed subsidiary as part of a broad cost-cutting plan.The move, which reduces headquarters staff by more than half,follows the announcement in September that the company wouldeliminate 210 jobs at its Bakersfield, CA-based oil and gasdrilling subsidiary.

“Like other major oil companies, Occidental has been batteredduring the past year by low crude oil prices,” the company said.

“This necessary action reflects both the needs of ourrestructured business and the realities of a very challengingeconomic environment,” said President Dale R. Laurance.

The layoffs and transfers began last week and will continue forseveral months, according to a letter to employees. Transferredemployees will go to Oxy Services, a recently formed subsidiarythat combines overlapping functions of the company’s divisions.Once the layoffs are complete, the headquarters staff will numberfewer than 190, the company said.

News of job cuts among producers has not gone unnoticed by theproducer group the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA). “There’sjust a tremendous amount of downsizing [in the production sector],and a lot of people. are losing their jobs,” said John Sharp, NGSAdirector of federal and state regulatory affairs. “I think it willcontinue for the foreseeable future. There’s going to be moreconsolidation in, I think, all sectors. I think that producers arejust kind of ahead of the game right now. I think you’ll startseeing more in the pipeline and distribution side, too.”

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