Oil sector to get new working-day norms

In a move to standardise working hours within the oil and gas sector, the government might soon notify new norms allowing companies to post workers for 28 days on-site, followed by a 28-day off period.

An industry group had made the suggestion of standardising working hours to the government after consulting trade unions. The suggestion has been accepted.

The new rules are currently under legal vetting by the law ministry. The oil industry in India is governed by mining legislations. Working hours, conditions of service and employment in the industry are regulated under the Mines Act administered by the ministry of labour and employment.

A new clause under Section 83 of the Mines Act is likely to be notified that would standardise the rule allowing companies to have 28 on and off days, said a person close to the development. “Section 83-A would be notified after the approval of Minister for Labour Sis Ram Ola,” he said.

Section 83 of the Mines Act allows the government to exempt any area or mine or group of mines from certain provisions of the Act. This would bring Indian rules on par with international norms.

Different companies follow varying practices with regard to notifying rest days. Within companies, the norms vary, depending on the location. Government-controlled Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), for instance, has staff working for 14 days on-site followed by 14 rest days. ONGC is the largest oil and gas explorer in the country.

Cairn India, the largest private sector crude oil producer, follows a 21-day norm. Its major operations are in the remote Barmer district of Rajasthan.

A senior ONGC executive said the norm differs on onshore locations according to the posting. For instance, the usual practice of six days eight hours work schedule is followed in Delhi offices.

The change would be beneficial to the staff working in remote or offshore locations away from their families. “It would help to motivate people to work in remote locations,” said a senior executive of a private oil and gas company.

However, the same norm for onshore and offshore locations might not serve the purpose. “The 14-day practice in ONGC was a well thought of move. It was set after elaborate discussions and deliberations,” said R P Pandey, national president, Association of Scientific and Technical Officers, a 23,000 member officers' body of ONGC. Pandey said while the 28-day norm could work in onshore locations, where in case of emergency a person can reach his family within hours, it might not be feasible in offshore locations.