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Petrofac in Shetland foreign workers row?


shetlandwannabe
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Hi

My 1st post .

I've been thinking about moving to Shetland , As I'm desperate to work @ the new Gas Plant.

I've sent loads of applications , but I've been told they are favoring local people.

Today I read this article in the BBC news online , about petrofac shipping in workers from abroad.

 

Can anyone give me an update and an idea if any jobs are about on Shetland . Is it worth me moving over ?

 

Thanks !!

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-15311317

 

[***Mod edit - merged threads ***]

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I think that Petrofac are being a tiny bit disingenuous with their claims that "Petrofac can confirm that it has not employed any non-UK labour for the engineering and construction of the Shetland gas plant. " - the bold highlight is mine.

 

The welding teams working on the pipelines are Italian and the earthworks were carried out with mainly Irish labour. Petrofac are probably not employing these groups but the project so far has utilised a large percentage of non-UK workers. I don't dispute it's their right to do so, they're just being a little fuzzy with the facts and perhaps not including the above in what they describe as "the Shetland gas plant".

 

I would have to qualify this by saying that I haven't seen the full press statement and given some of the recent twisting of oil news by the media, Petrofac may well have made all this perfectly clear already!

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having spoken to many oil industry workers at great length, I would say that any not employed at the moment are either unemployable or are not interested in the work. I know of several agencies that can't get skilled workers at any price. make of it what you will, but I think this is typical union BS designed to stir up trouble.

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Yes, much of the work so far has been done by sub-contractos of sub-contractors of....well you get the picture.....

 

I suppose the truth is, the companies like the Italian pipe company have their own workers and workforce who travel from project to project all over the world so they have no need to employ people.

 

I guess there's nothing illegal being done but it's a murky game all the same....

 

It might even "get worse" as the contruction work increases. Iindeed, notice Petrofac's words "where appropriate"......

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I know of several agencies that can't get skilled workers at any price. make of it what you will, but I think this is typical union BS designed to stir up trouble.

 

Could you post a link to the agencies ?

I'm skilled , Interested in the work , and very employable .

 

The agencies I have contacted (lots) - Have said things are very slow off the ground.

 

However I'm not in Shetland at the moment , would it help if I was local ?

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the work seems to be worldwide so being in Shetland would make no odds.

Halliburton, Expro, Schlumberger, Wetherford, Baker, etc are all hiring. unskilled workers are getting dayrates of £200+ so I can't understand how someone who is employable can't find work in the oil industry.

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the work seems to be worldwide so being in Shetland would make no odds.

Halliburton, Expro, Schlumberger, Wetherford, Baker, etc are all hiring. unskilled workers are getting dayrates of £200+ so I can't understand how someone who is employable can't find work in the oil industry.

 

I'm looking for work at the gas plant.

 

Are Halliburton, Expro, Schlumberger, Wetherford, Baker all sub- contracting ?

 

Perhaps because I don't have Oil Industry experience ? I have construction experience.

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none of them are sub contracting at the plant but why narrow your choice down to one place.

but to be honest I doubt the type of construction you have experience in is relevant to what petrofact are looking for. The paddies that are here just now are taking care of that side of things

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their no building hooses their building a gas plant pipes, valves, pressure vessels etc. the bbc story made it clear that engineers and pipe fitters etc is what is needed, not brickies and joiners.

 

If it is construction of this type you are after then you really need to widen your options

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their no building hooses their building a gas plant pipes, valves, pressure vessels etc. the bbc story made it clear that engineers and pipe fitters etc is what is needed, not brickies and joiners.

 

If it is construction of this type you are after then you really need to widen your options

 

Luckily enough I'm not a brickie or a chippie ,

 

Really ? I thought it was going be a little row a semi_detached hooses with a wee pipe processing the gas in the garages ?

 

So they are only recruiting Engineers / Crane operators / Digger drivers / Labours / Site reps from the Oil Industry then ? Perhaps that's why they can't get them then ?

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their no building hooses their building a gas plant pipes, valves, pressure vessels etc. the bbc story made it clear that engineers and pipe fitters etc is what is needed, not brickies and joiners.

 

If it is construction of this type you are after then you really need to widen your options

 

Luckily enough I'm not a brickie or a chippie ,

 

Really ? I thought it was going be a little row a semi_detached hooses with a wee pipe processing the gas in the garages ?

 

So they are only recruiting Engineers / Crane operators / Digger drivers / Labours / Site reps from the Oil Industry then ? Perhaps that's why they can't get them then ?

 

none of them are sub contracting at the plant but why narrow your choice down to one place.

but to be honest I doubt the type of construction you have experience in is relevant to what petrofact are looking for. The paddies that are here just now are taking care of that side of things

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Shetlandwannabe, I think the honest truth is you will find it very hard to just walk into the project. You might get onto it via a construction firm like Morrisons as posted.

 

The gas plant is the only big project on in Shetland and the construction will all be over in about 4 years, and even then the foundation building work will be finished way before that, maybe in one-two years ready for the actual plant.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble but there is absolutely no way that I would move to Shetland on the hope of getting work there!. It just doesn't work like that anymore.....

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