– Uncertainty is great among employees – E24

Equinor, as E24 wrote on Thursday, will cut 30 percent of employees in the exploration business. The report of the cut came at a general meeting this week, where employees were briefed on how costs will drop in the future.

Per Martin Labråthen is a group union steward for Industri Energi. He has received many questions from colleagues wondering what happens to them after yesterday’s court report.

– Uncertainty is great among employees. I get a lot of questions about people’s insecurity. They wonder what happens to them where they are, whether in Norway or elsewhere, like the United States, Labråthen says on the phone with E24.

Unrest in the company

Equinor has said that there are several hundred positions in this round.

The cuts will be even bigger in the US and UK, where Equinor is cutting the workforce by 50 to 60 percent.

Labråthen, who is also on Equinor’s board, says the uncertainty is great not only among employees in the exploration business, but also in other business areas.

– The search was the first with more exact numbers. This means that we, as shop stewards, get a long list of questions about what this means. In the first instance, we have to bring this up with the company.

Labråthen says they are still in the early stages of the process. The company is now reviewing the organization, with a view to streamlining and reducing costs.

– They have put forward a proposal to cut costs and staff until 2022, says Labråthen, who points out that the problem extends beyond the borders of Norway.

Package of measures

Equinor joins several oil giants that are cutting jobs to cut costs.

The British-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell is cutting up to 9,000 positions, the company announced earlier this week. London-based BP recently announced a 10,000 job cut.

It is important that the company now communicate how they intend to resolve the situation, according to Labråthen.

The union will now prepare a toolkit, which may include additional education, skills development, workplace change and job content.

– Then we’ll see what we can get.

Labråthen emphasizes that the cuts in exploration activities have a time perspective until 2022, so they have time to implement the necessary measures.

Oil crisis

The corona pandemic has sent oil down to around $ 40 a barrel, from $ 66 for New Years.

At the same time, a green shift threatens on the horizon, with greater uncertainty about the value of future investments in oil and gas.

Equinor is working on greater efficiency, leading to downsizing, the company announced this summer.

– Something is happening in all business areas. We see that we must continue to be increasingly efficient, said Eldar Sætre, CEO of Equinor, in connection with the presentation of second quarter results.