FSSL wheels are falling off?

[gareth martin]

It’s good to see Fugro advertising for work and recruiting but my question is? Who will be there to train the new techs? Due to the middle management treating offshore staff like second class citizens and running projects like dictators. There seems to be personnel leaving every couple of weeks!

From all accounts, the senior management haven’t even asked questions as to why senior field staff are leaving?

If anyone who is currently working for Fugro or has worked for Fugro, are they happy with the way field staff are treated?
If you have a valid reason with the office for any subjects, regards to no promotion , no pay rises, poor working conditions, over utilised or any discrepencies, ain’t your mentors suppose to support and listen to any concerns field staff have?

😕

[bell]

I dont work for fugro so i cant say from direct exprerience but i have a few friends that do.
The pay cut was not a cut to your day rate as far as i was led to believe it was a cut in your guarenteed days per year. But given you worked an equal time year for example you would get paid the same….

As far as pay rises and promotions the people i know have had quite a few of both.

You have two grade reviews and a cost of living review year do you not? I have considered coming to FSSL myself but sometimes it can be better the devil you know.

What are these "poor working condidtions"?

[gareth martin]

Hmm? Is your source office staff?

[downthere]

Exile,
Your title to the thread is naive. Fugro are a huge company and although you may not think things are not ideal the wheels are not falling off. To say so is just sensational rubbish. These posts come up every 3 months "wheels are falling off (Insert company name here)". Bored………

Remember we are still in the middle of a global recession? Did Fugro make staff redundant when the major currencies and stock markets dropped like a stone? Did they cut your wages or did they just cut back on pay rises they couldn’t afford or didn’t give to you because you simply did not demonstrate that you had progressed far enough to be promoted?

From the opening line of your post, they’re recruiting so think again, are they really not doing anything? All the companies have done the same and some are now starting to be a bit more confident and start recruiting.

[Bristar]

The bottom line is… you should pay your staff well and treat them correctly.

Well paid, appreciated staff do not leave in droves, or cause these problems.

It’s a simple relationship, unfortunately junior managers, promoted too fast don’t learn from the mistakes of their predecessors…

[gareth martin]

Oh dear!! Have I hit a nerve here!!

Ok some facts!!

You claim that someone working for FSSL mentioned that there have been pay rises and that I personally know that some of the field staff have not had a pay rise in 5 years!! Can you explain this?

Regards to the possible exodus, some of the field staff have waited to see what the pay rise was before making decisions to leave and 5% is somewhat not exceptable to some as they are being over utilised.

Regards me saying pay cuts! You can determine this how you like! But if I was getting paid £xxxx on a consolidated contract and FSSL then decide to reduce the field staff days of work and then pay a lower wage of £yyyy, is this not a pay cut?

Did the office staff have a reduction in wages or hours in the office reduced?? 😳

As for promotions! I have known ex FSSL Sub Eng constantly being utilised as Supervisors and have been refused promotion to Supervisor!! Can you explain this?? 😕

As for working conditions! Field staff simply can not express their views!!
FSSL have instated project managers with the roll of mentors so field staff can lias with them if they have any discrepencies or opinions. And you ask any field staff if they are happy with their mentors? I have know serious issues simply being ignored!!!

As for being naive? This is just the start! And the above is just some of the reasons why I personally feel the wheels are falling off!!

[Andy Shiers]

Such is life………… Stena , Stolt , Comex , MOS , DSND , OTS , Sonsub , Oceaneering ……………… The list does go on ……………… A vicious circle of non understanding and selfish ignorant Management which causes the Large companies to fall by the wayside only to be filled by smaller Companies 😕
As my father used to say…………… You’re never to small to grow , You never too big to go ! 😯

[James McLauchlan]

Remember we are still in the middle of a global recession? Did Fugro make staff redundant when the major currencies and stock markets dropped like a stone? Did they cut your wages or did they just cut back on pay rises they couldn’t afford or didn’t give to you because you simply did not demonstrate that you had progressed far enough to be promoted?

FSSL did none of the above (to any degree) because clearly the recession has not affected our sector. For some time now I’ve not seen it as busy as it has been over the last few years. Currently the ‘global recession‘ does not exist offshore, FSSL need the people and are actually short of labour from what I can see.

So, although I may not agree with the concept that FSSL are heading into trouble through shedding people, which appears to be what the OP might be hinting at, they are equally not being nice in any form or another for the sake of being nice. FSSL, like any other large organisation, will do what is best for their shareholders. No more, no less.

[Anonymous]

I personally know that some of the field staff have not had a pay rise in 5 years!! Can you explain this?

Companies dont give pay rises for fun. They wont give them if they can get away with it. There has been significant offshore pay rises in the last 5 years across all companies. If folks have been 5 years without a payrise and are still sticking around then who is the mug?

I presume FSSL are trying to get their cost base down. The offshore market is positive at the moment, but very competitive. I guess it wouldn’t bother FSSL too much if staff left. The sooner they can get cheaper labour into slots the better. An experianced supervisor and pad the rest of the crew out with cheaper alternatives seems to be the norm these days.

[subman]

Having worked for them many times in the past I can only speak as I find. As as Free lance Supervisor working for Fugro ME there pay is 3 – 4 years way of of date . Your working with 80% of trainees so when the system goes tits up your up for days trying to fix it because no body knows how .

To top it off the office loves paper work , What ever happen to just a DPR , Dive log and DVD Log .

So a pay rise is well over due !

Cheers

subman

[Ray Shields]

Having worked for them many times in the past I can only speak as I find. As as Free lance Supervisor working for Fugro ME there pay is 3 – 4 years way of of date . Your working with 80% of trainees so when the system goes tits up your up for days trying to fix it because no body knows how .

However, you are talking about Fugro Middle East, this thread is about Fugro Subsea Services in Aberdeen. They are different companies, different terms, different pay.

I believe it was THREE years since ALL Field Staff got an annual review increase, January 2001, letter dated 17 December 2008, effective 1 January 2009.

You also forgot the paid holidays which was given to all Field Staff on 1 January 2011 where everyone was given 20 odd days at their Offshore rate. This equates to approximately £2500 for a pilot and £4000 for a Superintendent increase per year.

Field staff simply can not express their views!!

I believe you are incorrect – Field Staff can express their views – however, they do not have to be listened to 🙂

You "pay cut" was only a pay cut if you were one of the people who were quite happy to be paid for 150 days while only actually working 120 or 130.

The Company came very close to having to do redundancies. They could no longer afford to pay out a guaranteed 150 days of offshore allowance to people when they did not have 150 days work for them. This was reduced to 120 days. That means, everyone was paid for their 120 days offshore whether they worked them or not. If you did more days, you got more pay accordingly. This did not affect the salary which did not change.

It was the end of a nice little Rovtech perk which could no longer be afforded.

If you think the wheels are falling off, I think you need to go and work for other companies and see what it is like working for them.

[subman]

Sorry Ray we seem to be at cross purposes here your talking about salary personnel and I am talking about Freelance Rates .

But at the end of the day Fugro has lots of work on but very few experience people just check with any of the agencys using this site" Wanted Panther or Tiger personnel " When you check the rates its the same rate that was on offer 3 – 4 years ago .

I fully understand some people dont have the choice they have to accept the rate but I for one wont be .

The cost of living as gone up its a pity that no body told Fugro , If Smit ME and Sapesco pay over 50 USD more than Fugro why ?

The choice is yours , But the schools are turning out more and more trainees so I hate to think what the rates will be like in 5 years time .

Cheers

Subman

[sedco]

Subman, why don’t you tells us the day rates Fugro are offering and we can all chime in on whether we think they are crap or not.

[subman]

Under 700 USD last I heard .

Cheers

Subman

[sedco]

You are right, same as 3-4 years ago.

Unfortunately more or less the same as current UK rates so there will always be takers.

[Author]

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