Gabon oil workers to persist with strike as some output resumes

LIBREVILLE, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Some oil production from fields in Gabon resumed on Friday despite a continuing strike by workers, although output remained severely constrained.

Gabon's government sent soldiers to retake control centres at Maurel et Prom Gabon SA's Onal and Coucal oilfields, it said in a statement.

But a union spokesman said the strike would continue until a pay dispute was resolved.

The shutdown has knocked out 28,000 barrels per day of production in the OPEC member country since Thursday.

By Friday, minimum services had resumed at the sites, which were running at about 15 percent, a spokesman for the National Organization of Petroleum Employees said.

French oil company Maurel et Prom Gabon was not immediately available to confirm the production volumes.

Gabon is Africa's fourth largest oil producer with an output of around 220,000 barrels per day, dominated by international oil majors Total (LSE: 524773.L - news) and Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) . (Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Alexander Smith)