Oil riggers express displeasure over award of contracts

Concerned Riggers and Offshore Workers have called on the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Regional Coordinating Council, Ministry of Energy and other stakeholders in the petroleum industry to intervene to enforce the local content policy to avert any conflict.

This was contained in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Takoradi on Thursday.

The spokesperson for the Association, Mr. Joseph Appiah, said the agencies that had registered with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to employ local workers for the rigs are being discriminated against.

Mr. Appiah expressed displeasure over discrimination in the award of contracts for oilrig operation on the Jubilee Field.

He said there are three registered agencies in the Region, namely Menergy Oil, O & L Trinity and Sea World that had been registered by the GNPC to employ artisans such as motormen, floor men, painters, caterers, crane drivers and badge masters for oil rigs operating in the oilfields.

However, he said, the indigenous registered companies were not given contracts to employ local artisans but rather foreigners, especially Nigerians.

Mr. Appiah added that some of the owners of the oilrigs are also foreigners who prefer to bring their own workers from abroad thereby denying the Ghanaian artisans the opportunity to work on the rigs.

Mr. Appiah said if this discrimination is not checked immediately, the oil discovery in the country would be a curse instead of a blessing to the citizenry.

“Ghana has a lot of riggers and for that matter the Western Region where the oil and gas is. We have come home from abroad to work for our country only to find ourselves idle without getting jobs.”

He said due to the oil discovery in the Region, cost of living had increased especially accommodation, food items as well as other necessities of life, adding that if the youth who are skilled are not employed social vices would increase.