Oil and gas sector: Senior management to be tested before promotions
Petroleum ministry sends Uniform Recruitment and Promotion Policy to public companies for approval.
ISLAMABAD:
The Uniform Recruitment and Promotion Policy (URPP), drafted by the petroleum ministry, for public oil and gas companies has raised eyebrows as a clause makes it mandatory for all senior management to undergo tests and interviews for promotions.
Sources told The Express Tribune that Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, Pakistan Petroleum Limited and other public sector companies observe that senior management will take a stand and not sit in tests for promotions. Lower grade staff may become scapegoat and be the only ones who will have to give tests and interviews, officials added.
A uniform formula will be followed for recruitment and promotion in public oil and gas companies. Written test would be given 70% weight age while interview and academic record would be given 15% each, according to the policy. Those securing at least 60% in the test would be called for the interview in case of recruitment and promotion.
A senior official of the petroleum ministry said that the policy was formed to follow international practices and improve local oil and gas sector’s performance. “The government will get the policy implemented even if senior officials do not want to follow the policy,” he said.
Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) Managing Director Iqbal Azeem Siddiqui told The Express Tribune that the company’s Human Resource Committee would meet on December 12 to consider the URPP Policy that would be approved by the company’s board of directors.
He said that performance would also be considered along with test. It may be difficult to implement the policy for senior management, who would be reluctant to sit in a test for a promotion, he said.
Senior petroleum ministry official claimed that company officials would have a training programme before promotion, a trend followed in civil and military bureaucracy.
Human resource officials of the private sector claimed that this practice is not widely followed in multi national companies or local conglomerates in the country, however, the petroleum ministry official said that multinational companies were following this same practice.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited Managing Director Arif Hameed said that the human resource committee’s board of directors has not approved the policy yet. He added that there had been general observations on the policy that would be tabled before board of directors for approval.
When contacted Pakistan State Oil board of director’s chairman Sohail Wajahat, who is also the author of Uniform Recruitment and Promotion Policy, said that the policy had been formed keeping in view the future needs of human resource in the public oil and gas companies. He said that the policy would help make recruitment and promotion process more transparent.
All public sector oil and gas companies including SSGC, SNGPL and PPL have expressed willingness to adopt it after approval of board of directors, he added. He ruled out that policy had been drafted to favour any particular group. He said that board of directors of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had approved the policy that would be implemented. He said that promotions would be judged through a general knowledge test on the company’s affairs.
The policy also has some other questions that need to be addressed, official related to the matter said. The policy does not mention qualification requirements for each position along with whether management trainees need bachelors or masters degree, official added.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2011.
The Uniform Recruitment and Promotion Policy (URPP), drafted by the petroleum ministry, for public oil and gas companies has raised eyebrows as a clause makes it mandatory for all senior management to undergo tests and interviews for promotions.
Sources told The Express Tribune that Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, Pakistan Petroleum Limited and other public sector companies observe that senior management will take a stand and not sit in tests for promotions. Lower grade staff may become scapegoat and be the only ones who will have to give tests and interviews, officials added.
A uniform formula will be followed for recruitment and promotion in public oil and gas companies. Written test would be given 70% weight age while interview and academic record would be given 15% each, according to the policy. Those securing at least 60% in the test would be called for the interview in case of recruitment and promotion.
A senior official of the petroleum ministry said that the policy was formed to follow international practices and improve local oil and gas sector’s performance. “The government will get the policy implemented even if senior officials do not want to follow the policy,” he said.
Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) Managing Director Iqbal Azeem Siddiqui told The Express Tribune that the company’s Human Resource Committee would meet on December 12 to consider the URPP Policy that would be approved by the company’s board of directors.
He said that performance would also be considered along with test. It may be difficult to implement the policy for senior management, who would be reluctant to sit in a test for a promotion, he said.
Senior petroleum ministry official claimed that company officials would have a training programme before promotion, a trend followed in civil and military bureaucracy.
Human resource officials of the private sector claimed that this practice is not widely followed in multi national companies or local conglomerates in the country, however, the petroleum ministry official said that multinational companies were following this same practice.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited Managing Director Arif Hameed said that the human resource committee’s board of directors has not approved the policy yet. He added that there had been general observations on the policy that would be tabled before board of directors for approval.
When contacted Pakistan State Oil board of director’s chairman Sohail Wajahat, who is also the author of Uniform Recruitment and Promotion Policy, said that the policy had been formed keeping in view the future needs of human resource in the public oil and gas companies. He said that the policy would help make recruitment and promotion process more transparent.
All public sector oil and gas companies including SSGC, SNGPL and PPL have expressed willingness to adopt it after approval of board of directors, he added. He ruled out that policy had been drafted to favour any particular group. He said that board of directors of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had approved the policy that would be implemented. He said that promotions would be judged through a general knowledge test on the company’s affairs.
The policy also has some other questions that need to be addressed, official related to the matter said. The policy does not mention qualification requirements for each position along with whether management trainees need bachelors or masters degree, official added.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2011.