Officials from Petronas will meet Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah Embas and state secretary Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani on Monday pertaining to the national oil company's employment issue in Sarawak.

Uggah said Petronas would only explain on the employment issue, which was viralled in the social media and caused an uproar among Sarawakians.

"They have said they will come and discuss with us in Kuching," he said when met by reporters after witnessing the installation ceremony of Betong district council councillors in Betong today.

During Petronas 'group-wide business restructuring', Sarawakian employees were said to have been retrenched and replaced with non-Sarawakians in the exercise.

Following that, the state government placed a moratorium on all new applications for work permits for Petronas from outside Sarawak to work in the state.

"Whatever they say, we want the truth. If what they say is right, we don't dispute.

"If there are some issues, we would like that issues resolved amicably," said Uggah.

He said the state government wanted transparency and fairness in the matter.

Petronas, in a statement, yesterday said Sarawak remained a key investment state for the company, where its workforce requirement would continue to grow.

It expected majority of the workforce required to meet the new manpower demand, would constitute Sarawakians as per existing requirement practices.

"A number of positions is expected to be filled by experienced employees, which may include non-Sarawakians," the statement said.

It also said the key to the successful delivery and operation of Petronas project in the state is the support and commitment from all parties, most important of whom are Petronas teams of qualified and dedicated employees no matter where they are from.

- Bernama