TotalEnergies ‘off-market’ contracts spark backlash from Namibian workers

Some Namibian contract workers on TotalEnergies’ oil and gas project say they were handed new employment terms on a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ basis, with no room to negotiate.

TotalEnergies EP Namibia, a subsidiary of the French oil giant, is one of the front runners in developing Namibia’s offshore oil finds in the Orange Basin.

The company is currently negotiating the terms of the investment with the government. The project is expected to run for more than 25 years.

During the exploration phase, TotalEnergies took on around 13 workers through Apos, an oil and gas services firm that recruits and manages personnel for the industry, on rolling fixed-term contracts of between 12 and 24 months.

That arrangement has, however, left some Namibian workers aggrieved, citing contracts with no pension, limited medical aid cover and years without salary increases.

TotalEnergies and Apos deny any wrongdoing, saying the new terms improve workers’ pay and benefits, and that staff who sought clarification were given the chance to raise questions.

An employee who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential matters, told The Namibian this week that workers tried to engage the company on the new packages, but were told the offers were not open for negotiation.