By Ater Yuot Riak Amogpai, Ph.D.
On Friday, June 18,
2021, the Council of Ministers chaired by the President of the Republic of
South Sudan Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit held a meeting on the Unified Human
Resource Policy Manual (UHRPM 2020) and came out with the resolution No:
08/2021. The resolution instructed the Ministry of Petroleum (MoP) to
immediately implement the policy and fully. In response to the resolution, the
Minister of Petroleum Hon. Puot Kang Chol issued several ministerial orders to
Joint Operating Companies (JOCs) for further action. The implementation
processes have not been easy between the MoP and foreign partners (Chinese,
Malaysians and Indians) and, between JOCs management and the national employees
on the other side.
From 2018 to 2019,
the national workers in the JOCs started industrial actions demanding suspended
and deleted allowances, loans and all other privileges. Anchored on South Sudan
Labor Law, the UHRPM 2020 calls for bridging a wide and unacceptable
remuneration gap between international and national workers. The gap runs in
tens of thousands of dollars. It also calls for the reduction of expenditure of
air tickets, accommodation, visas, and group life insurance for expatriates and
secondees to reduce the operation cost. It further stated that the unification
of salary structure among the JOCs shall be reviewed.
Throughout the year 2021, the national’s workers in the oil sector have battled with JOCs over the full implementation of the UHRPM 2020. The national workers laid down their tools both at the headquarters in Juba and at the oil fields several times. They have been demanding for the harmonization of salary structure fair to both national and international workers, allowances, loans, social insurance fund among others.
On Thursday, June 16, 2022, the MoP held a workshop on the UHRPM 2020 intended to bring all parties on one page. It was attended by the Nile Petroleum Corporation (NilePet), foreign partners, National Petroleum and Gas Commission, and the Ministry of Labor. All parties have agreed to support the implementation of the policy with effect from January 2021. The workshop further approved the Nilepet and foreign secondees Tariffs are as well. Any amendments and corrections will be incorporated in the next edition.
Currently, the
UHRPM 2020 has been approved and become a law that is eligible for petroleum
sector utilization. It is not the end of history, with the ending of the
Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) by 2027, partners may find
a way to languish all benefits mentioned in the policy. The human resources
departments in the JOCs have applied the salary structure proposed by the Mop
for both foreign and national employees. The policy is not yet fully
implemented, however, one thousand mile starts with one mile. The effective
time of the policy started from January 2021, and all amendments and
corrections would be added in the next editions of the policy.
We would love to
thank the President of the Republic of South Sudan Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit for
his support and wisdom and his entire cabinet for their support. We also love
to thank the Minister of Petroleum Hon. Puot kang Chol for his efforts to table
the issue of the UHRPM 2020 to the Council of Ministers. We are as well
thankful of the MoP staff who keep their eyes on the processes of the UHRPM
2020 till its implementation. We are very grateful for our foreign partners for
their patients since the first day of the presses to the day of the agreement.
It was a tremendous negotiation. We continue the spirit of teamwork, trust and
advancement of petroleum business in South Sudan.
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