A strike of workers of McDermott Caspian Contractors (MCCI), which started on 22 November 2005, stopped last week.
In the morning of 22 November several hundreds of company’s employees refused to start working, the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), which contractor McDermott Caspian Contractors is, told Trend. The workers put forward, first of all, the demand to increase salaries and required the meeting with the management.
The Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) on behalf of McDermott Caspian Contractors stated that the senior management of McDermott met with a group of workers to consider issues raised by employees of McDermott on 22 November.
As a result of consultations with the representatives of the AIOC and SOCAR, McDermott presented an answer to employees, offering them bonus payment in the amount of a monthly wage for successful completion of the project in the construction of topsides for West Azeri platform. Besides, the company was committed to increase the overtime hours from 5 December, which will result in rise of net wages by 22%. The senior management of the company offers incase of salaries by 12%, starting from 1 January 2006.
The strike of McDermott workers can be regarded as a victory in the sphere of protection of labor rights. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan will sign an agreement with Republican Committee of Trades Union of the employees of the oil and gas industry for application of additional privileges of the employees of this sphere. The agreement also envisages definition of work, directed at improvement of the social defense of workers of the oil and gas industry in 2006-2008. The trades unions are seemed to feel the weak sides if their activities and decided to correct it.
Moreover, the echo of strike will long heard in the country, urging the trades unions, employers and the government itself seriously defend the labor rights of the citizens and in particular, to appraise the life of those who create the material assets of the country.