An important factor in employment is access to information about opportunities. Social networks are crucial in getting offshore jobs. There is a network of previous offshore workers; a very effective network used to get information about work opportunities and subsequently getting rig work. Ghanaians who have worked in the oil industry in other countries returned for several reasons. Some returned because their contracts expired and were not renewed. Others returned because the jobs they did (usually low echelon jobs) were taken over by nationals of those countries. A large number of them especially those from Cote D’Ivoire also returned because of the conflict there. These people are in touch with each other and circulate information about job opportunities amongst themselves.
Men and women had and used different social networks (see table 6 below). The types and extent of social networks used influenced the type of jobs informants got. The returnee rig workers made it an effort to help each other in getting jobs. These returnees formed the rig workers association, whose primary focus is to push for Ghanaian domination in offshore employment. They have each other’s phone numbers and communicate job opportunities to each other. This is a highly effective means of getting jobs. After the rig workers had gained the trust of their employers, they are able to convince them about the qualifications and
68 qualities of their friends and so their recommendation plays an important role in the recruitment process.
Table 6: Social contacts used in getting access to rig employment.
Social contacts used to get jobs Men Women No. No. Family/Kin Uncle 1 - Husband - 1 Niece - 1 Friends
Colleagues from previous offshore employment 24 -
Friends working on a rig 10 -
Employer acquaintance 1 2
Nobody 1 1
Total 42 (100%)
Source: Fieldwork data 2011.
Employers therefore depend heavily on this social network of previous offshore workers in recruiting new workers. An inherent pattern in the network is that, it is formed based on the country in which they worked and their ethnicity.
The rig workers without any previous offshore experience also connect their friends to get jobs offshore. According to Simon (35), a roustabout, until his employment on a rig, he was unemployed and lived in Kumasi. He had a friend in Takoradi who got employed on a rig. Three months later, Simon’s friend informed him about opportunities offshore. He moved from Kumasi to Takoradi and enrolled in the safety training and subsequently got employed offshore. Simon alluded to the fact that, he could not have gotten the job except for the friend’s help. He would not have even heard about the job opportunity. In the offshore sector, information about employment is as important as the employment itself. Social networks thus play an important role in access to information about jobs and getting the jobs. Simon noted, ultimately, he also planned to help another friend to get employment offshore.
One employer also made friends with potential employees before employing them. The friendship period was used to access the qualification of candidates. The employer through informal conversation gets information on the qualification of his friends (candidates for rig work) and their attitude towards work. The decision to recruit them or not is taken based on assessment made during their informal conversations. This was used largely to recruit people who were working in pubs and restaurants. The employer was a customer at the restaurant
69 where these informants worked before making their acquaintance. The interesting feature about this network is that, all the people recruited using it now work as housekeepers.
Family/kin is another social network used in securing jobs offshore. Even though not used by a large number of people, a few informants relied on family networks in getting jobs offshore. A husband for instance after three months offshore negotiated with his employer and got his wife recruited. Another informant whose niece worked with a helicopter company facilitated her employment offshore. This informant did not attend any interview before getting recruited to the rig. She said: “He [employer] only asked for my passport and he sent me for the
BOSIET training.” Recommendation from family and friends was useful in getting employed
on an oil rig. Only 2 informants got offshore employment without drawing on any social contact. Social networks not only influence people’s employment offshore but also the type of jobs they get. This will be examined in more detail later in chapter 6.
5.5 Conclusion
In conclusion, the employment opportunities available for Ghanaians are mostly low echelon jobs with more men working on the rigs than women due to their previous offshore and other maritime experiences and gender ideologies and women’s reproductive functions and duties. The decision by some employers to recruit a particular ethnic/regional groups has resulted in some sort of regionalization of recruitment. Social network influences access to information and jobs. The next chapter will describe the jobs Ghanaians do on the rigs and how their employment impacts their lives.
70 CHAPTER SIX
RIG WORK AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES
The first part of this chapter is a description of the offshore work; the different types of jobs men and women do on the rigs. Offshore work is considered the reserve for men. The major challenge that Ghanaian rig workers face is the limited opportunity for career advancement. However the jobs in which men dominate have higher prospects of advancement than those in which the women are mostly employed. The chapter will explore some outcomes and consequences of offshore employment. Offshore employment has had both positive and negative impacts on the rig workers. It has also opened economic opportunities for rig workers’ spouses. Labour conflicts and corruption allegations have also characterized offshore work in Ghana’s emerging oil industry.