Latest update November 15th, 2024 1:00 AM
ExxonMobil says it trained 24 technicians for Guyana operations
– but continues to dodge key questions on local content
Stabroek Block operator, ExxonMobil, announced yesterday that it has trained 24 Guyanese who will be working on the Liza Destiny vessel from next month as maintenance technicians. The multi-national oil giant noted that this is the first group of Guyanese who would have undergone an extensive 18-month training programme that it organized in Canada.
President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge
ExxonMobil said that the technicians will work under the supervision of the Liza Destiny’s operator, SBM Offshore, so as to produce Guyana’s oil and gas.
It was also noted that these trained Guyanese will replace experienced international workers over the coming years.
Even as it sought to present the foregoing picture regarding its efforts to train locals, the company continues to doge critical questions that would expose just how genuine is its interest in building local content in Guyana.
For more than four years, ExxonMobil has failed to provide disaggregated data on how many Guyanese it has trained for senior positions between 2015 to 2019 as well as the salary scales for each job title.
The company has also failed to show how it has invested in institutions that will build capacity for Guyanese not just in the oil sector but for those sectors which the nation envisions will help to steer it clear of the damaging effects of oil dependency.
Just about two weeks ago, the oil giant also sought to give the nation the impression that it has expended billions of dollars on the procurement of goods and services as well as on the hiring of nationals.
It said specifically that for the first half of 2020, it spent over $14B. What it neglected to remind, is that Guyanese will have to pay for every cent it expends on local content.
Importantly, those costs for 2020, as well as those for previous years, totalling over $50B, are yet to be audited by the Government of Guyana.
In a statement to the press yesterday and even in its missive almost two weeks ago, the company said more than 2,000 Guyanese are supporting its operations, representing 55 percent of the total workforce.
No evidence, however, was provided to support this. In fact, no data was provided for the public to analyze if there was any progression in the employment of Guyanese to senior positions from 2015 to now.
Since ExxonMobil began operations in 2015, the company has kept away from scrutiny, its local content reports which would expose just how seriously it takes capacity building. The only time ExxonMobil ever released the list of companies it claimed to have used for its local content efforts was back in June 2018.
The company had claimed that it had used over 300 Guyanese registered companies to supply services.
In response to calls for evidence of same, a list was provided. Upon examination, however, it was found that ExxonMobil padded its list with the names of places like Bourda Market, Haags Bosch Dumpsite, Royal Castle, Bounty Supermarket, Metro Office and Computer Supplies, Star Party Rentals, and Shanta’s Roti Shop. It listed utility companies such as the Guyana Power and Light and the Guyana Revenue Authority as part of its local content efforts too.
Persons were also listed as registered companies. They included Sonia Noel, Chontelle Sewett, Andron Alphonso and Mokesh Daby.
As part of its statement yesterday, ExxonMobil claimed that the Centre for Local Business Development, which is located on South Road, has remained supportive of local businesses with a transition to virtual courses.
No evidence or report of any kind was provided to confirm this. Additionally, ExxonMobil said that the centre continued mentorship of 10 Guyanese companies in the process to be compliant in the ISO 9001 quality management system. Those names were not released.
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