GUYANESE oil-and-gas services company El Dorado Offshore has hit back at an article published in the local press which said that an employee of the company could be dismissed for disclosing information such as wages and salaries. The company said that it had no such policy and that in three short years it has grown significantly due to the hard work and dedication of its management team and the value it brings to its employees.

“On Friday, November 16, an article was published in the Demerara Waves online newspaper titled “El Dorado Offshore — hired seafarers could be fired for disclosing wages.”
“This headline stemmed from a clause in El Dorado Offshore’s (E’DO) employment contract which states that an employee may be terminated for disclosing confidential company information inclusive of information on wages and salaries. Demerara Waves, however, failed to mention that E’DO’s contract allows any employee to disclose any company information under legal process,” the company said in a press release.

E’DO pointed out that every employee in Guyana has a legal right to engage directly with his/her trade union, ministry or any other legal entity that represents employees’ rights. It said that no employee of E’DO can suffer any repercussion if they were to do so. “E’DO has and will continue to open our organisation to any entity working to promote workers’ rights in Guyana,” E’DO said.

The company noted that some sections of the press have attempted to portray E’DO as a Trinidadian company. However, in response to this, E’DO said it was founded in Guyana and is 100 % managed and operated by Guyanese. It said that the members of E’DO’s leadership team are wholly young, vibrant individuals below the age of 35, who are products of a “sound Guyanese education system” and background.

“All of us at E’DO are familiar with the struggles and scarcity of opportunities for young and educated persons in Guyana, even when they have bright ideas and are willing to work hard,” the release said. It said that Trinidadian company Ramps Logistics saw the potential in the E’DO team and provided the capital to get E’DO started. “Not only did they provide capital, they also provided coaching and mentoring. We were able to access their management systems and most importantly their network of oil-and-gas contacts internationally. In just three years, E’DO now employs more than 140 Guyanese in the oil-and-gas sector. In fact, we have already begun to export our locally trained personnel to work in places such as Suriname,” E’DO said.

It added: “These are well-paid jobs. Even at the lowest levels, for 28 days work E’DO employees earn more than five to six times the average wage in Guyana.”
It said its clients include Edison Chouest, Seacor Marine, Halliburton, Tenaris, Schlumberger Stena Offshore, SBM Offshore, among other global multinationals.

“This new energy industry provides an opportunity to those who have not traditionally been involved in business in Guyana. There is a new generation of youthful entrepreneurs in Guyana and we deserve to be part of this sector as much as anyone else. For the first time in a long time we feel we can stay right here in Guyana and make a great life for ourselves and our families,” the release said.