Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in a bid to provide maximum benefit to its majority of local workers, on Monday converted 3,052 third party workers on daily wages basis who were serving the organisation for last many years.

According to a handout, OGDC has two categories of employees, officers and workers. 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 there are total 2604 officers in OGDCL who work in various fields and offices across Pakistan including the head office and total staff or workers on OGDCL payroll are 10,882, out of which 3,052 are on work charge or temporary workers.

The hiring procedure for all officers and workers is through press advertisement whether permanent or on contract. Sometimes due to temporary peaks in workload officers and workers can be hired on temporary basis for up to 87 days on a day rate basis; this is called daily wages procedure.
They work as labourers, waiters, barbers, watchmen, drivers, clerks, peons, cooks etc. at engineering parties, seismic parties, drilling rigs and oil and gas plants across Pakistan.

To create employment in the local communities, OGDCL hires all unskilled workers from the local communities. Field heads are authorised to engage and disengage them, as they are present in the field and know the locals better.Amongst temporary workers are watchmen as well, who are hired by field heads on the recommendation of the landowners on whose land OGDCL has its plants and facilities.

OGDCL has agreement with the landowners to hire 3 watchmen from each landowner’s village/family on his recommendation. 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. Sometimes, no 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 effort is made to de-hire such a person and hire a local instead.

In the event, 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 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.