OGDCL converts 3052 workers of third party as daily wages

ISLAMABAD: The state-owned company-Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has converted as many as 3052 work charge as daily wages.

These temporary employees have been working with the company through third party contractor for the last many years.

The company's spokesman says the move is initiated to provide maximum benefit to these workers who are mostly locals, where OGDCL operates.

He said the OGDCL had two categories of employees, officers and workers, adding there are nine grades for officers starting from (Executive Grade) EG 1 to EG 9 and for workers the grades are from Non Management Grade (NMG)1-17.

At present, he added, there were a total 2604 officers in OGDCL who worked in various fields and offices across the country including the head office and total staff or workers on OGDCL payroll, who were 10,882 in number.

Out of which 3,052 were serving as work charge or temporary workers, he added.

He explained the hiring procedure for all officers and workers is carried out through advertisement in press whether they were hired on permanent or contract basis.

Sometimes, he added, due to temporary peaks in workload officers and workers can be hired on temporary basis for upto 87 days on a day rate basis; this is called daily wages procedure.

They work as laborers, waiters, barbers, chokidars, drivers, clerks, qasids, cooks etc. at engineering parties, seismic parties, drilling rigs and oil and gas plants across Pakistan.

In order to create employment in the local communities, the OGDCL hired all unskilled workers from the local communities.

Field heads are authorized to engage and disengage them, as they are present in the field and know the locals better.

Amongst temporary workers are chokidars as well, who are hired by field heads on the recommendation of the landowners on whose land OGDCL has its plants and facilities.

He said OGDCL has agreement with the landowners to hire 3 chokidars from each landowner's village/family on his recommendation.

He said the field heads are required to report the head count of all daily wages workers with business need justification to the head office on regular basis in order to prevent ghost workers or misuse of authority.

Any misuse of authority if identified attracts disciplinary action against the concerned person, he said.

Sometimes, he added, mis-hiring of temporary worker/labor takes place in the field due to mis-declarations by an individual that he is a local, when in fact he is not. In such event all efforts were made to de-hire such a person and hire a local instead.

In the event, he added, if permanent staff or worker is required by the field, then field heads have to request the head office to press advertise and follow the same procedure as explained above for permanent hiring of officers or workers.

Those workers who are already working on temporary basis on daily wages can also apply for these posts.

By far and large this is the procedure that is being followed in all of the OGDCL operations across the country.