MAJOR oil companies operating in Guyana’s oil and gas sector have expressed support for the government’s push to ensure qualified Guyanese workers receive the same salaries as expatriates performing the same jobs, according to Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat.
The minister made this known during a recent episode of the ‘Starting Point’ podcast, during which he stated that discussions with ExxonMobil Guyana and major contractors, including SBM Offshore and MODEC, have yielded positive responses to the government’s call for salary parity where Guyanese and expatriate employees possess comparable qualifications, experience and skills.
The minister said the issue was raised during the recent signing of annual work plans with companies operating in the petroleum sector, where, for the first time, the government brought together ExxonMobil and its tier one, tier two and tier three contractors to discuss expectations for the industry.
“We are serious about this as a government,” Bharrat said.
He explained that Guyana has now reached a stage where its citizens have acquired the expertise needed to compete with foreign workers employed in the sector.
He noted that while such a call would have been unrealistic four years ago, the country’s workforce has evolved significantly since the discovery of oil.
“Ten years after discovery to production, we have Guyanese who have upskilled themselves, who have gone abroad and studied on scholarships or on their own. We have Guyanese who qualified themselves at the technical training college in Berbice, and they’re on FPSOs working alongside experts,” he said.
According to Bharrat, many Guyanese now possess between five and 10 years of industry experience, in addition to internationally recognised qualifications and certifications.
“Now is the right time,” he said.
“If we have Guyanese workers that have comparable skill sets, experience and academic backgrounds as an expatriate worker with the same skill set, then they should get the same salary.”
Bharrat acknowledged that expatriate employees may continue to receive additional benefits, such as housing and relocation allowances, because they are required to live and work outside their home countries.
However, he argued that the base salary should not differ where the work being performed and qualifications are equivalent.
“If you’re Guyanese and I’m an expat, you have five years’ experience in the oil and gas sector, you’re a reservoir engineer, I have the same qualifications as you, both of us are working on a drillship offshore, then the salary that you receive, I should receive too,” the minister affirmed.
Asked whether he anticipated resistance from industry, Bharrat said the response from operators has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I can safely say no,” he stated. “I’ve had further conversations with Alistair from Exxon, and they are in support of it, which is fair. We are not asking for anything that is contrary to the way in which they operate. We are not asking for anything unlawful. We are asking for something that is fair.”
The minister also disclosed that he recently met with the Chief Executive Officer of SBM Offshore, the company responsible for operating Guyana’s four floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels on behalf of ExxonMobil.
According to Bharrat, SBM has fully endorsed the government’s position and indicated that it already operates under a fair-pay policy that links remuneration to qualifications, experience and performance rather than nationality.
“They mentioned to me they’ve already had this structure in place for a while now of fair pay,” he said.
“They’re going to ensure that it is strengthened, and they’re going to ensure that their contractors too follow the fair-pay system.”
Bharrat added that MODEC, which will operate Guyana’s next FPSO, has also indicated its support for the principle of equal pay for equally qualified workers.
