135 considered for dismissal, temporary lay-off were not an option.
It is with a heavy heart that we will now try to put into words what has taken place lately.
Many have written to us and asked for information, if we could not possibly come up with a progress plan, etc. It has been very difficult to inform, without at the same time having to tell that the present condition would virtually end up with mass redundancies.
Some history:
This autumn, after we finished the previous round of dismissals, we were aware that 2022 would be difficult in terms of contracts and activity.
What we were facing was that at that time we were promised that Invincible would have full manning during SPS and upgrading. No one mentioned anything about lay-off and Q4 in 2022 before it should have full manning. We were predicted that Intrepid would have a stay of about 3 months and MDN planned with individual rig lay-offs. The only challenge here was that we had to make the company aware that this must be of a duration of less than 12 weeks so that one could have individual rig lay-offs and not a full re-location of personnel.
Reacher and Integrator were to exchange positions, there would then be a few more positions on Integrator. So, in overall we would manage well over the summer. The drilling on Inspirer would at least go on until October 2022, so there was time for the rig situation to change for the better.
In January, we were summoned to a meeting where we were told that Invincible would not have the type of crewing that we were envisioned. This changed everything, absolutely everything.
Then the personnel were to be moved around between the rigs, and we were then told that when Intrepid was to be docked alongside (of course in DK because we do not decide in Norway). Already at the end of January, the company would then have discussions on the matter this, but there was too little time. At this time, we knew nothing about the size of the crews on either Intrepid or Invincible alongside at the quay. February arrived, the company worked in high gear to find solutions / lists / crews and we were then called to a meeting on 21.02.22 to discuss the matter.
At the meeting, we were presented with a plan in which 135 were considered dismissed, 60 people with effect from 01.03.22, this due to long seniority. The rest in March. Damn ... This hurts.
45 people were to stay on board Intrepid in Frederikshavn, SPS on Invincible had received some manning, some on the Hybrid upgrade and the rig would actually be completely without Norwegian crew until Q4 when it was to return to Norway.
We then had to see how this would look like in connection with what will happen in the future. Rig-wise lay-offs were claimed, which would be very confusing. Yes, we would have the dismissals postponed until 31.03.22, but in this case people would be laid-off and then be dismissed at the same time. Hard against hard, we claimed that all dismissals be postponed for a month and claimed that they be enforced from 31.03.22 at the earliest. We have achieved a Resource Pool of 40 persons. We are then down to about 350 employees left in Maersk Drilling Norge AS plus the Resource Pool.
A total of 135 people will be considered dismissed this time, people with more than 15 years of seniority in the company are now called to 15.1 meetings. MAF will of course assist all members who want assistance at these meetings. Just let us know when you are notified by the company about this. Otherwise, contact us if anything should be unclear.
Read the protocol, it is an incredibly complex situation where many people must have to change the rig, into an Extra competence pool for a period, back to the rig, and then not necessarily returning to where they started out.
It is very confusing, but the company is also aware that there may be many who need a review and a more in-depth explanation. What we can say with certainty is that the company has done everything they can so that everyone could have predictability and that they have tried to move as few personnel as possible.
But there is more, of course there is. What about the merger between Maersk and Noble during all this?
You may not get around this when you then see that we will end up with so many redundancies at the time for "closing" has been set. They're talking about July 1st, but this is not something you can relate to. Will this not provide jobs?
Does Noble not hire people in today?
What about my seniority in a new company?
What about my priority right for 2 years pursuant to the Collective Agreement?
Will it apply in Noble?
Etc ......
All of this we will have to revert to, but we may tell so much that everything that concerns the merger there is nothing to inform about yet. The Norwegian Competition Authority puts an end to everything. None of us may talk to "Noble in Norway" today if they will need personnel later on, etc. There is nothing more tell than what is said from the central parties in Town Halls from Jørn Madsen and co ..
We are not allowed to discuss anything at not our level, neither HR nor our boss Jakob Korsgaard can influence anything yet.
What we may say is that we claim, and the company agrees, that the preferential right is stated by the Collective Agreement, but legally we may not say with certainty that this will apply in the new company which will then be called Noble Corporation. Lawyers in IE are on the subject, and this is something MAF is going to fight for, rest assured.
What will take place ahead?
What happens first is that everyone who is considered dismissed will be contacted by the company next week and then the 15.1 meetings will start from Monday 7 March.
MAF will otherwise in a very short time come up with a timeline as we see the situation ahead.
We Asks for understanding that we have not been able to inform about all of this previously.
You will find the protocol on mass redundancies here, and the agreement on yardstay for Intrepid here.
