The Petroleum Commission has said that petroleum production at the Jubilee field has not been disrupted in spite of a sit-down strike embarked on by members of staff of Mitsui Ocean Development & Engineering Company (MODEC) Ghana Limited working on the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah.
[contextly_sidebar id=”hlwsj0QSVFhq75AQypsWwbEyBCD2uuNI”]The workers embarked on the strike last Wednesday in protest of their current working conditions and say they are not resuming work until something positive is heard from their employers.
The company stated that although it was disappointed by the actions of the workers as “strenuous efforts are already ongoing to improve their conditions in the upstream petroleum industry,” it would commence negotiations with them to find a quick solution to the impasse.
The Commission entreated the striking workers to return to their posts as the talks begin.
The government has also urged the workers to return to work.
Find Below the full statement from the Petroleum Commission:
STRIKE ACTION ON THE FPSO KWAME NKRUMAH
On Wednesday, October 29, a section of the Ghanaian staff of MODEC Ghana Ltd. who work on the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah and numbering about 25, embarked on a sit down strike, to back their demands for better conditions of service. It is with deep regret that on industrial action has taken place at this time when strenuous efforts are already ongoing to improve their conditions in the upstream petroleum industry.
The Petroleum Commission, since last year to date, has made a number of strategic interventions to improve the welfare and ensure equal opportunities for Ghanaian professionals for industrial harmony to prevail in the upstream petroleum industry.
Several discussions have been held with both Local and International Service Providers to improve the working conditions and enhance the capacity of Ghanaian workers,which have resulted in a long-term programme for employees’ career development.
As you would recall, following a similar strike on the Jack Ryan rig on Saturday, 9th August, 2014 over demands for upward adjustment of salary, the Petroleum Commission in concert with the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) quickly intervened to resolve the impasse and to continue the earlier initiatives to improve the workers compensation.
Again, when Modec workers embarked on a strike action on 24th July, 2014, the Commission facilitated discussions between Modec and the Union (i.e. GTPCWU), which resulted in initial salary increase and training opportunities for the Ghanaian staff of Modec.
Furthermore, as part of our mandate to promote Local Content and development of local capacities in the upstream industry, the Commission met key stakeholders in the industry on August 20th, 2014. Among the actions that were adopted at that meeting were the formation of three (3) Technical Committees to deal with pertinent issues with regard to the workers conditions and enterprise development in the upstream industry..
The Committees are:
- Compensation Package Committee – to address issues pertaining to compensation packages of Ghanaians working in the petroleum upstream industry and come out with a salary structure for various skill levels. .
- Training & Career Development Committee – to address the requisite training, career development programmes and capacity building.
- Organizational Development – to address capacity limitations of Ghanaian Service Providers to enable them participate in the high-value and technologically sophisticated contracts to enable them adequately compensate their Ghanaian employees .
The technical group set up to finalize the 3 Committees’ Terms of Reference has submitted its report, which is being reviewed, with the Committees expected to commence work early next month.
The Commission would like to assure all stakeholders that the issues that are the subject of the current unrest can be resolved through the framework/arrangement that have been put in place and agreed to by all stakeholders.
The Commission would like to reiterate that, strike actions do not help our effort in deepening Ghanaian participation on the rigs and other offshore installations. These installations are areas of very flammable fluids and therefore actions and inactions of workers could endanger lives and facilities. Any hour of operational disruption costs the nation significant amount of money in terms of operational cost and lost revenues.
The Commission, on Wednesday, held a number of meetings with Modec, Tullow and also with the GTPCWU, and the Rig Workers Association to find a quick solution to the impasse.
A meeting has subsequently been scheduled for Thursday morning, among the Commission, Modec and the Union, to address outstanding issues.
We therefore entreat all our hard working workers to immediately resume work and allow the ongoing negotiations to continue.
The Petroleum Commission would like to assure all Ghanaians that, notwithstanding this strike action, petroleum production from the Jubilee field has not been disrupted and all efforts are being made to ensure that this stays so.. The Commission is also in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the offshore installations and personnel are secured and safe.
The Commission would like also to assure all categories of personnel in the upstream petroleum industry that efforts are being made to ensure best practices in the industry and protect the long-term interest of Ghanaians workers. The Commission will continue to use coordination and dialogue as strategies in nurturing this nascent industry into maturation for the benefit of all Ghanaians and other stakeholders.
Issued by the Management of Petroleum Commission, Ghana
Wednesday, 29th October 2014, Accra
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana