AGR Australian positions – visa versus citizenship

[Sit Rep]

Er, Lost One,

Perhaps you should read your own signature block before posting, it’s getting monotonous!

On a more pertinent note, I can see no objection to the UK ROV types organising their own situation, the only obstacle being their own reticence (and possibly EU membership).

Cheers

[Andy Shiers]

Still…It wouldn’t hurt if you opened your doors to the Brits , would it ? At least we pay the Tax ! 😯

[Alan Duguid]

Australia and NZ residents don’t need a visa to work in Australian waters. Everyone here surely knows this so those arguing over semantics are merely being difficult.
Those calling sitrep69 a hypocrite need to re-read what he wrote. He never said foreigners couldn’t work in Australia. He merely implied that if companies do employ overseas workers they need to pay them the same rates and offer them the same work conditions, assuming they have the correct visa’s to work in Australia. Otherwise rates will be driven down by companies undercutting others by employing cheap labour from overseas. This has already started here with on big ROV company we all know employing europeans and Americans. They are paying ROV supervisors less than what the Aussie stewards are earning.
What you need to remember is that the cost of living in Perth is much higher than in the UK or US. I know as I am earning 2.5 times more working in Australia than I was when I still lived in the UK and I am by no means better off finacially.
Who would want to work offshore 6 months a year as an ROV supervisor and earn less than the guy cleaning their cabin? (no offence to the catering staff who provide a neccesary service).
Sure, come work in Australia, but earn the same rates and pay the same tax, fair or not?

[ROVSKI]

There is a lttle bit of hypocrite in everyone. There has been a race to the bottom in the ROV industry for so long there are few places left to earn a "decent" wage. Its got to the stage now that the Brits are the new Kiwis, economic refugees.
Please come and enjoy Australia and its payrates. Just dont undercut the conditions that made it attractive in the first place. Win a position because your good, not cheap. If you undercut, your short term gain comes at the expence of others. Eventually we all lose. This rant is in vain, we all know its one for one and none for all.
Peace.

[James McLauchlan]

Australia and NZ residents don’t need a visa to work in Australian waters. Everyone here surely knows this so those arguing over semantics are merely being difficult.
Those calling sitrep69 a hypocrite need to re-read what he wrote. He never said foreigners couldn’t work in Australia. He merely implied that if companies do employ overseas workers they need to pay them the same rates and offer them the same work conditions, assuming they have the correct visa’s to work in Australia. Otherwise rates will be driven down by companies undercutting others by employing cheap labour from overseas. This has already started here with on big ROV company we all know employing europeans and Americans. They are paying ROV supervisors less than what the Aussie stewards are earning.
What you need to remember is that the cost of living in Perth is much higher than in the UK or US. I know as I am earning 2.5 times more working in Australia than I was when I still lived in the UK and I am by no means better off finacially.
Who would want to work offshore 6 months a year as an ROV supervisor and earn less than the guy cleaning their cabin? (no offence to the catering staff who provide a neccesary service).
Sure, come work in Australia, but earn the same rates and pay the same tax, fair or not?

A lot of sense posted by frogman :tup:

As for some of the other posts, I would appreciate it if people would consider their words a little more carefully before turning threads into slagging off sessions, which seems to happen too often around here.

Regarding Oz as a working environment for ROV troops. Hats off to all the guys in Oz that have managed to stabilise pay and conditions in their neck of the woods.

If I were an Oz Citizen and had an inkling of foreign ROV workers being employed by a company at lower than normal rates, I too would start asking questions and be very protective of ‘home turf’ hard won pay and conditions!
I feel that Brits or any other Nationality for that matter, outside Oz, have no place to comment on the matter of anyone appearing to be protective of Oz rates, other than to consider that, should they work in Oz, they accept nothing less than the going rate… and of course pay the correct rate of tax before buggering of to their homeland.

As Rovski indicates… going in and undercutting is doing no one any favours in tbe longer term, but I do note that ‘planning for the longer term’ is a hard concept for for some nationalities to grasp!

Agencies should do their homework before posting.
This clearly did not happen in the case of the AGR post whereby they asked for ROV techs with Visa’s but didn’t mention that any Oz person could apply. As we all know any Citizen has a given right to work in their own country without a Visa!
I do have my suspicions about rates on offer though when an agency asks for foreign ROV techs with Visa’s for somewhere like Oz but fails to mention that Oz techs may apply also.

[Alex Michaelson]

Hi All

I’d like to throw a stick in the fire at this point. I think there has been some miscommunication and misunderstanding over the course of this post. I agree that rates in Australia, whilst higher than average elsewhere, are raised due to Australian Government legislation along with a higher cost of living. AGR pride ourselves on getting the best pay possible for our personnel, working within the scope our clients give us.

In terms of Australian work permits, having spoken with Stuart about this, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. In all AGR ads, if there are visa requirements posted, nationals are of course eligible and encouraged to apply for our roles.

I hope this clears up any problems, and I hope we can all work together soon.

Sincerely,
Alex.

[Sit Rep]

Hi Folks,

This topic seems to have flared up again recently, possibly due to the post re OI rates?

Anyhow, all I was originally trying to say is, if you want to play, make sure it’s a level playing field.

There are good pilots and technicians of all nationalities and personally I am willing to compete globally based on skill and competence where that DOES NOT interfere with the local situation.

You may rest assured that I will not be undercutting the rates in the global market, which for me, would be SE Asia and Australia.

Specifically and related to the early part of the thread, the normal visa means of entry to Australia for professional/trade work is a 457 visa.
This requires: that the person is qualified in a trade, that the trade position is short-staffed here in Australia (i.e. position cannot be filled locally) and significantly, that the employee is employed under the same working conditions as a normal Australian employee, this includes wages, superannuation, leave provisions etc

When last I looked at the appropriate immigration website ROV trades are not listed.

And Alex (AGR) as a former offshore employee (non-ROV related) I used to and still maintain that life and work offshore should be remunerated equally irregardless of your home residence i.e. if a guy lives in a slum in Mumbai or a penthouse in New York and they’re both shit-hot techs, they are living where they want/have to live. The skill-set is the sale-able item and is equal.

Let’s drag conditions up, not down, and we’ll all profit.

I rest my case.

Cheers

[Author]

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