Africa-Press – South-Sudan. By Yiep Joseph
Workers Trade Union of Petroleum and Mining appreciated and welcomed the recently inked deal between the Ministry of Petroleum and oil companies operating in the country to unify the human resource policy.
This week, the Ministry of Petroleum and the oil companies reached a deal to implement the unified human resource policy manual for personnel working in the oil sector.
This policy would focus on harmonizing the salary structure applicable to both national and international staff(meaning that both nationals and foreigners doing the same work in the same department be paid equal salaries)
While addressing the media yesterday after a brief workshop on a survey on working conditions of South Sudan oil industry workers, AterYuotRiak, Secretary-General ofWorkers’ Trade Union of Petroleum and Mining appreciated the move taken by the Ministry of Petroleum and urged them to critically engage with the companies to make sure that the deal is fully implemented.
“It has been taking so very long time for our partners to accept the policy (Unified human resource policy), now the oil partners, especially the Chinese and Malaysians plus others and the Ministry of Petroleum have reached the deal, we the workers are very pleased with the move” Aterexpressed.
“We are very happy that one of our main grievances had been addressed” he added.
Ater cautioned the government not to relax but continue to engage the oil companies in order to achieve a complete unified human resource policy in oil sector without reservations.
He added that most of the workers at the oil companies lack protective gear at the field. Ater called on the government and the oil companies to prioritize the health of workers in the oil industry as a move to improve Dodo Bangasi Bakosoro from GPOCreiterated workers’ union appreciation to the government and the Ministry of Petroleumparticularly.
“We need to give appreciation and much thanks to the government of South Sudan and the Ministry of Petroleum for the efforts they had made to make sure that the unified Human Resource policy is accepted and signed by the partners,” she said.
“We the Workers Union from all the joint operating companies we are here to tell our government that we appreciate their efforts, it has been a long time, three years we have been fighting with the partners but now there is no more fighting we are now united with our partners no more struggle,” she said.
She added that the human resource policy would increase salaries for nationals that would automatically increase government revenue through taxes collected from the workers.
“When the salary is increased for employees, we can use this money to help our families, even the taxation from the government, the taxes collected from us will increase revenue and the government can use these taxes to develop our country” she said.
“The money collected from us can be used to develop our roads, construct schools and hospitals and improved the health services in general” she added.
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