Guyanese oil and gas workers must get equal pay, says Minister Bharrat

Guyanese oil and gas workers with equal qualifications and experience as their foreign colleagues deserve equal pay — and the government is now ready to fight for it, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat said Wednesday.

Speaking at the handover ceremony for the Letter of Approval of Local Content Plans at Duke Lodge, Bharrat said the government planned to intensify its push for comparable remuneration, arguing that five years into Guyana’s oil production era, locals had acquired the skills and experience to justify the demand.

“We believe that at this point in time, five years after, it is the right time for us to start advocating more strongly to ensure that Guyanese that are employed with comparable qualifications, training, comparable certification and also now, experience could have a comparable remuneration to expats with similar background,” he said.

Bharrat said Guyanese labour in the oil and gas sector had expanded significantly, with thousands of locals acquiring the necessary skills, certification and experience over time.

“I think it is only fair,” he said, calling on the sector to collectively examine how remuneration equality could be improved for workers with comparable skillsets and experience.

The issue is not new. Former Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton met with lead operator ExxonMobil in 2020 to discuss payment of Guyanese workers and adherence to local labour laws. It was established that allegations of unequal pay often referred to the company’s sub-contractors, who were reminded of their obligation to uphold the principle of equal pay for equal work.