Also...if one gives up information as a Bristow Manager then one gives up power and is thus susceptible to being de-throned.
What is wrong in telling of the results in the monthly pay packet....surely each person involved will see the difference and be suitably impressed and appreciative.
Why are the Bristow management not shouting about it from the rooftops?
If Bristow management would be making much noise about their pay review, the existing long list of applicants wanting to work for them in Nigeria would increase to the equivalent of 8.9 on the open Richter scale for top jobs.
I'd suggest that the fact that neither Bristow management is shouting about it from the rooftop, nor has anybody come up on here to say how great it is speaks volumes. I'd predict an actual rise of 3% or less overall, dressed up to sound better and that when people discover what they're actually getting, the likes of ADA and Gulf helicopters will have fewer problems with numbers in the next few months, whilst Eket will have the opposite problem. It's all just a game of the balance between numbers and quality of life
That doesn't mean CHC are doing any better - people are just waiting to find out whether CHC or Aero will win the war or lose the peace
4.5% on basic.
CLA now $5500 per annum paid monthly with salary
That is it.
The door that the management failed to see opening, and are still blind to, has now been blown off the hinges.
I am not far off the bottom of the Bristow dung pile and for those of you whose calculators have Nigerian batteries my pay after the 4.5% raise and not including CLA is now $118,000 per annum. In addition there is the 7% company contribution to my pension.
ADA pays $112,000 without the requirement for armed escorts.
Have you been looking at my pay slip? Bang on the button - 2.98% overall .
nbl,
I guess that since the sad demise of John Hanley, Bill Lee is probably quite busy now and it probably takes a while for anyone applying to get a reply - if at all. I have a friend working in Kandahar for ADA and he was saying that he has difficulty getting replies to e-mails at present.
The recent fall in the value of the £ against the US$ is probably worth more than the value of the pay rise to be honest, but for those paid in $ and living in Europe, every little bit helps
Yet another Randy Organ triumph of bureaucracy over common sense . Staff are going to have to wait until September to get their pay rise. Even though it's back dated to July 1 people are going to lose interest (in both senses). The numpty obviously has a total grasp of life in Nigeria . I can just see the guys in Escravos visiting their local Western Union office to pick up some Naira, or the guys in Eket asking the armed convoy with all the XOM staff in it as well to please stop off at Diamond Bank on the way in at 0645 so they can cash a cheque. I'm sure the convoy at Warri Texaco won't mind diverting into town, rather than just driving across the road so they can visit the Bureau de Change . This has got to be the worst conceived Bristow pay review in Nigeria ever. They just start settling people in Eket down a bit and now the whole apple cart has just been upset again. I can't wait to get my official notification - toilet paper is getting scarce down here with all the BS we're being fed .
As Marcus T Cicero said, "As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap".
Good point about the change in the relative values of the £ and $, but aren't a lot of 'old school' Bristow still paid in £ and unaffected by such things? Anyway, any favourable change in rates, can surely be reversed overnight?
NEO,
I seem to remember you said, let's wait and see. Having now 'seen' some idea of what Bristow are offering, what have you seen of its reception by the 'troops' in the front line bases?
CW,
No matter what, I don't see many people being tempted to leave for ADA and losing at least $6,000 per annum. That place still sucks and they've upset too many people for most experienced pilots to want to leave for that part of the world, no matter how hard Bristow tries to pi$$ off its own people.
SAS,
Pilots are leaving CHC and Bristow already to return to Australia. I don't know about the relative pay, but most of the guys I've spoken to who are returning have said that they'll lose very little and much prefer a 2/2 touring roster to 6/6 in the swamps. I can't see a couple of percent increase making anyone reconsider that, particularly when they're going to upset a lot of people again on the CLA issue. Has there actually been an official announcement on Bristow pay as yet, or is it just expected to be in the same ball park as CHC's raise?
1972....Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso)...Evergreen Helicopters
Made collect (reverse charge) telephone call to McMinnville, Oregon....Evergreen Payroll Department.....charges accepted...query re past three months pay....to be told...."We don't give that information out over the telephone!" As if they did not know who was calling collect from Bobo-Dioulasso, Republic of Upper Volta!
Got transferred to the Chief Pilot....name of Larry Vineyard....explained situation....three months on the job and no information re pay since hire....to be told...."...as payroll department correctly stated...we don't give that information out on the telephone!".
Does this kind of attitude sound like familiar in Nigeria?
Surprise visit paid to Chief Pilot's Office using my retained unused "Open" return ticket....confirmed I had been paid in full.....then elected to remain at home vice return to Bobo-Dioulasso.
Evergreen could not understand why I had such poor faith in them and their concern for the working staff.
I reckon you're dead on the nail. ADA has the advantage of a life after the blades stop but no private medical, no sickness benefit, no insurance and so on. How much is that worth to an ageing workforce with more frequent need of a quick referral ? If you went there on 8/4 you'd make around the same as a guy on 6/6 here.
The pay review has been taken stoically here, it's the CLA that has really p**sed everyone off.
As NEO said we will have to wait and see if anyone feels strongly enough to pull the ripcord. But I doubt there will be many, if any.
It seems the BHNL leadership (I use the term loosely) is forcing their workforce into using black market sources to change money. This is not legal in Nigeria and is therefore against COBI.
They will argue that they are not forcing anyone as they should use official exchange routes.
Now we are in LALA land.
It may be possible for an MD or OM to send his driver to a bank but, those staying in Stallag Luft 12 in Eket can forget it.
Maybe some of them should spend more time in their pools in Florida and let someone run the company properly.
COBI (code of bussiness integrity)
PS I won't be back.
You guys just have no idea of the broader picture. If we had the Agbami contract we'd be able to afford you overpaid whiners, but we don't, so live with it. You only come out here for 6 weeks and in most bases you're fed, so what are you getting CLA for anyway? Just to stop you whining so much is what. If you need to buy food, change money at the airport when you arrive - what do you expect - an ATM at every base? Whaddaya mean why can't you have the money in cash like before? You guys never listen to what you're told about the perfectly reasonable explanation we gave you about tax and business integrity. It's about time we started cracking the whip. Nobody's been kidnapped for a long time, ADA is still short of pilots who haven't left Bristow despite all the horse dung posted here by a bunch of malcontents. We have enough people and that's what shows the truth of the matter - most people are perfectly happy. We have a stack of applications from pilots in Third World countries who'd be glad to make as many greenbacks as we pay you. We have a whole heap of them already and our accident rate hasn't gone up, so stop whining about falling standards.
It's costing us a fortune to keep you guys in secure camps when the hijack threat is negligible, so we're cutting back on security consultants and having them all based here in Lagos where they're needed. The drivers and junior staff were just a drag on our resources which is why we sacked them and outsourced the work to local contractors. We're not a bleeding hearts charity and if they're on a worse deal now, that's their problem not ours. Unlike you, we're here on performance bonuses and we'll do whatever we have to and screw over anyone we need to increase our package - you'd do the same if you could, so quit moaning - losers
It still amazes the nuts off me as to why you guys put up with this BS!! Surely, there are other BETTER employers out there who actually think about their responsibilities!!
Comfort Zone?? Incredible!
CMW.
Location: Still on some west coast...but a bit further south
Age: 38
Posts: 510
This is just the start...
To Bristowmanagement
You know what I don't care about this freakin CLA, BLA, BS and god knows what.
On the contrary Bristow Nigeria should conduct themselves as it is outlined in the Bristow leadership charter i.e. values, goals, and mission statements as per website. For God sakes show us some leadership and prevent the run off of good people. Recently you have been ushering us with "resources" that are an irresponsibility to clients and else. Where is the leadership that is expected from you? Or do I have to read it out loudly to you? It's all fine and dandy when the bigwigs descend on us and swing big speeches, but clear up this mess!!!!
P.S. Probably everything you propose is signed as "Bristowmanagement" thus hiding the true personality behind illfated decisions and avoid responsibility. Come on down and I'll get ya!!!
Last edited by alouette : 25th August 2008 at 09:59.
Um... alouette, you don't really believe bristowmanagement has anything to do with the real management do you? I'm sure it's just another guy having a good rant, though with Bristow you never know . One thing's for sure - while people are divided in their opinions of 'the majah' and the new MD is making a good first impression, nobody has a good word to say about the guy known as 'Randy Organ'. Despite that, I think Toks is right and most people will just stay on and continue moaning until or unless something better comes along. It doesn't make for a happy workforce though. In the last year or two both Bristow and CHC seem to have done their best to transform their workers into a pretty unhappy bunch with incredibly low morale. Both companies pay lip service to safety but fail to recognise that low morale is also detrimental to safety. As for COBI, that's just something they do to please the SEC. I'm sure the managers in both companies are quite happy to send out their drivers to change money on the black market. It's an interesting point from heliminger though and I wonder what the SEC would say if someone implicated Bristow in illegal business practices forced on their employees as a matter of policy?
Never mind, the Agbami contract will be announced any day now and then all the problems in Nigeria will be solved . Yeah, and father Christmas really does exist and I'm sure I saw the Tooth Fairy last night
Location: Still on some west coast...but a bit further south
Age: 38
Posts: 510
Nigeria and else...
Well, whatever... I just had to vent my disappointment on this unwholesome situation. It is sheer madness as well as sad to see how a good company loses its plot based on the fact that some dimbulbed manager(s) think they do the best they can to keep the operation running.
Whoever thinks that Agbami will be the solution to all the culprits is mislead.
Citing the code of integrity; "Promote honest and ethical conduct" and "Maintain a workplace in which the integrity and dignity of each individual is valued" - just to name a few. Now over to management - stop talking like a bunch of hobos and get real!!!!
Here's a great new online site I found for anyone who thinks the new way of getting CLA is a rip off and should be reported: The Rip Off Report
You can also use the company whistleblowers hotline to report any member of management you have discovered changing money illegally on the black market rather than getting it sent to him/her via Western Union or changing it at anything other than a legal Bureau de Change, (Persons with concerns regarding Accounting Matters may forward their complaints on a confidential or anonymous basis to The NETWORK, an independent company at 1-888-840-4147 or outside North America at 770-582-5277 or alternatively via the internet at http://www.tninc.com/webreport) or report them to Nigerian Customs Service on 09 5236393 or via their website Nigerian Customs Service if you suspect them of entering or leaving the country with more than $5,000. If you're worried about using the whistleblowers hotline, contact this American firm of attorneys for advice Qui Tam Attorneys
You can find out more about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 through this website Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 if you feel you're being illegally forced into a position where you may be in contravention of the Act.
Know the rules thoroughly so you can catch them out every time they break them. You can also make a point by refusing to take an aircraft if it's not completely serviceable, bar any allowable defects and make sure you record any and all defects in the journey log after every flight.
Last edited by bristowburnout : 25th August 2008 at 17:51.
Re the Toyota v Ford canoe race......Brilliant! But you must concede that the bonus's were well deserved because of their diligence in trying to find the root cause of the poor performance.
Last edited by phonic wheel : 26th August 2008 at 06:05.
Reason: To make clear what I am referring to.
Late last night an Israeli businessman in his 60s was kidnapped at the entrance to a parking lot in Port Harcourt. His family have asked that his identity not be revealed as yet and the identity of his 4 kidnappers is not known.
.
Cicero had it right
. Staff are going to have to wait until September to get their pay rise. Even though it's back dated to July 1 people are going to lose interest (in both senses). The numpty obviously has a total grasp of life in Nigeria 
. This has got to be the worst conceived Bristow pay review in Nigeria ever. They just start settling people in Eket down a bit and now the whole apple cart has just been upset again. I can't wait to get my official notification - toilet paper is getting scarce down here with all the BS we're being fed 
. 
. One thing's for sure - while people are divided in their opinions of 'the majah' and the new MD is making a good first impression, nobody has a good word to say about the guy known as 'Randy Organ'. Despite that, I think Toks is right and most people will just stay on and continue moaning until or unless something better comes along. It doesn't make for a happy workforce though. In the last year or two both Bristow and CHC seem to have done their best to transform their workers into a pretty unhappy bunch with incredibly low morale. Both companies pay lip service to safety but fail to recognise that low morale is also detrimental to safety. As for COBI, that's just something they do to please the SEC. I'm sure the managers in both companies are quite happy to send out their drivers to change money on the black market. It's an interesting point from heliminger though and I wonder what the SEC would say if someone implicated Bristow in illegal business practices forced on their employees as a matter of policy?
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