Take a pay cut or not??

[luckyjim37]

Wow it must be great to live in money land with you guys.

I am not saying it is the way to do things taking a big dayrate cut but if there is no work around around then after three months at home you have to make the decision to take what work is on offer. There is not an abundance of shore jobs around due to something called a recession or global downturn or whatever you want to call it.

Personally I have been lucky to pick up some work over the past couple of months. Yes it has been on a lower day rate but as it has not been in the mainstream Oil and Gas I am fairly sure it will have no knock on effect for anyone else.

Simple economics dictate what you do if you have no money you have to swallow your pride and go out and do what you have to do to feed your family and pay the mortgage. Nothing to do with owning fast cars and big houses. Three or four months with no work would dent anyone’s slush fund.

[Scott Beveridge]

Jim,

But it’s been that way (re:quiet season) for years if you look at the history of the industry. So come Sept. or Oct. nothing extra is bought at my house, money from work is TT’d to my acct and I may or may not do some (very) short term investing – say for 1 – 3 month money "instruments" or the likes of that. I try to only spend large amounts of money in April and May (pending oil & gas industry outlook) only plus the odd hols here and there (mid-range costs). You other guys can buy a new toy every year – – – I’ll wait 3 or 4 years to buy toys but in the interim, I’ll invest. All to retire early…..

[Andy Shiers]

I totally agree Scott and I don’t even live where you are 🙂
Again all newbies that have decided to join the Industry the last four years Stay on salary or get another job 😯 Don’t go freelance , You Muck everything up.
Unless you are a complete idiot You will see how the Industry goes EVERY year and work accordingly as an EXPERIENCED ROV PILOT TECH as a FREELANCER 😯
Is this De j’ Vu or some people cannot get the grasp of reality here I’m thinking 😕
"I wanna job , I’m willing to go out for free to get the experience and balls to the rest of ya" I’m alright Jack !
All I can say is , If you come out on a job I’m running and you are Green and come out through an agency, I’ll run you off simple as that 😀 !

[senior]

Some of are lucky enough to have served an indentured apprenticeship, this comes in handy to go back to the tools , if needed ( only when my slush fund had dwindled).
I will not however take a £50 per day cut for any job, I agree with you lost boy, If the freelancer is crap, run him/her off, and it doesn’t matter how much experience they have or how long they have been in the job….If they cant or wont tow the line, then its NRB.

I WORK TO LIVE AND NOT LIVE TO WORK.

Senior $$

[liddelljohn]

I am fortunate to be solvent and can wait until the season starts , last year I refused to take a pay cut and ended up getting plenty of work and good rates so it was a good year for me.

However I have been approached by people in agencies and the industry asking if i might be interested in moving sideways into another area by spending some time retraining in order to earn 40% more money and have more work options due to previous experience in this other area and still be able to ROV if i want… so the question is should i do it .

[Scott Beveridge]

Great posts guys!!! Especially those of us wearing the same feathers….. It just doesn’t make sense (AT ALL) to get paid less than your last job…. Youngsters, stay where you are…. DO NOT MOVE….. SIT!!!

[Anonymous]

Geez!!!

You guys are something else, what the hell has how much money you have in the bank got to do with it?? The question is whether to take a pay cut or not, i have more than enough to cover myself for a few months without work but would i want to eat into my savings……NOT A CHANCE, like 50% of the guys in the industry in general i think your full of s"£t, according to you every supervisor is on 600 quid a day working with the best gear and tells his agency/company when and where they want to work……WAKE up!!!

Ive been in the industry long enough to smell poo and every time i read this kind of stuff it is overpowering, its everyones own choice to take a rate cut or not, some people just cant afford to be out of work for three months and some people just dont want too, and to be honest if your well know and have good rep it is very seldom you will be asked to take a cut, most of the guys talking about it seem to be agency anyway……live by the sword die by the sword, when its busy you guys get more cash and call the shots, when its quiet just be happy your working because there are lots of people who are not.

You cant have it all ways guys.

Peace.

[luckyjim37]

Amen. Could not agree more.

[bt]

yeah spot on!!!! TheBhoy

Seems some people are flapping before the season even starts.

[James McLauchlan]

Seems some people are flapping before the season even starts.

What gives you the impression that people are flapping? This is a debate about whether to take a pay cut or not…. not about people flapping in any sense.

I tell you what though…. the common dog is gradually fading away from this industry.. ROV people used to be quite clever and adaptable… now I’m not so sure.

Picture this……
If each season, people accepted pay cuts and if the companies and agencies twigged on that this is an easy thing to pull off.. where to you think it would all end up? You’d be on 50% on what you are on now in a couple of years! Nothing clever in that eh?
Those that are running out of cash and ‘need’ to get offshore before the mainstream work kicks off are probably loading up with too many financial commitments in the first instance.

You should be grateful for those with a better financial strategy.
It’s those that say no! to crap offers that help keep the rates up. Those settling for lower rates are doing nobody any favours, ….. except the companies of course!!

All for one, and all for one (not a typo), must be the new ROV industry motto!
Bugger working together to help keep the rates up eh? That’s a mugs game and just for the divers.. who are, I believe, looking at yet another pay rise this year.
On the other hand lets see how ROV can lower rates and really catch the companies by surprise. I despair!!

Oh! and another misconception that need quashing for those that are not in the know but live under the misconception that they may be….

Agency hands are not pulling in more bucks than anyone else when it’s busy. This has been the case for years. The only way they may make more money is to put in more days.

regards
James Mc

[R2D2]

Well, I wish I were as adept at getting work as I am at stirring it up and kicking the hornets’ nest. It is a talent I often regret.
Rest assured though, when one raises a post here, one is guaranteed to enjoy a hearty response.

Thanks for all the input which provides much food for thought.

Speaking of food, I’m still inclined to surrender to Hobson’s choice and submit to the lower rate if there was one. I don’t see a torrent of work being offered at present so any rate is purely fictitious to me at present.

Bear in mind that more often than not, the rates being offered are from the same salty old bards who were once of the same feather, that is; previous supervisors who have since been promoted to being office girls.
It seems they have forgone their flock wouldn’t you say?

Hasta luego,

[Andy Shiers]

Veni, Vidi, volo in domum redire."
(I came, I saw, I want to go home.)

One does wonder 🙄

[Scott Beveridge]

All for one, and all for one (not a typo), must be the new ROV industry motto!

I’m awright Jack is still a greater common factor James….

[ROVSKI]

My empathy for the financially inept is running low. With some of the comments I am reading here. We all understand your family must come first even if it at the expense of others in the industry. Just be a little humble about what you are doing to rates.
Its this me first attitude that shafted the MEN that made a stand in the summer of discontent. The spineless SCABS that shafted the MEN that were fighting for a decent wage and conditions. They were the reason the UK offshore worker has been treated like disposable nappies, bought cheaply, shat on and thrown away ever since. Life for all the future offshore workers would have been so much better if not for the insecurity and short sightedness of these SCABS. Dream on about getting the pay rates, time off rotas, pensions of the Noggie and Ozzie workers.
So don’t chip into your pathetic little nest eggs, go out cheaply and continue to undermine pay conditions for everyone else. Soon the rates will be so slow low you wont be able to save a nest egg. But I am sure you will be OK you can undercut the Philipinos and go sweep up in the base when the seasons are slow. A just reward for you loyalilty to others in the industry.

[ROVSKI]

Upon reflection, its all our own fault. We should have left these "men" on the winch !!!!

[Author]

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