The Petroleum Ministry has directed Tullow Ghana not to sack any Ghanaian technical staff in its planned downsizing exercise.
Tullow recently hinted of plans to lay off some members of staff as a result of the unexpected sharp fall in crude oil prices on the world market.
But in a statement issued to the media Wednesday, the Petroleum Ministry noted that although the oil company reserved the right to downsize, “Ghanaians working in departments such as Operations, Technical Services and Planning, Project and Engineering, Well engineering and Subsurface and Exploration should not be among those laid-off.
Read the full statement from the ministry below:
MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM DIRECTS TULLOW GHANA LIMITED NOT TO LAY-OFF CORE TECHNICAL STAFF
The Ministry of Petroleum has directed Tullow Ghana Limited, the operator of the
Jubilee field, not to lay-off any core technical staff in their proposed plan to layoff some workers of the company as a result of the slump in crude prices in the international market.
The Ministry appreciates the fact that, as a direct result of the reduced world market price for crude oil, Tullow Ghana Limited has seen a significant revenue reduction compared to the same revenue level last year. It is therefore understandable if the company intends reducing cost and improving efficiency.
However it is the position of the Ministry that Ghanaians playing core technical roles in the company should not be affected in the process.
In this regard, Ghanaians working in departments such as Operations, Technical Services and Planning, Project and Engineering, Well engineering and Subsurface and Exploration should not be laid-off.
This will ensure that the continuous effort to build and augment oil and gas technical skills and competency among Ghanaian professionals as prescribed by the local content policy and law is sustained.
The Ministry in the meantime also directs Tullow Ghana Limited to put in mitigation measures to ensure minimal impact on employees by redeploying “employees of risk redundancy” to other areas of the business where their skills could be used.
For eventual leavers, the Ministry further directs Tullow Ghana to offer a competitive severance package and roll out placement support programmes to ensure that they transition meaningfully after leaving Tullow Ghana Limited.
Signed:
EDWARD ABAMBIRE BAWA
