This all goes to highlight the fact that if you have to work in Nigeria, the CHC benefits package really is better, because at least you have a decent medical and repatriation support package if, heaven forbid, you should fall sick or be injured in the violent nation that Nigeria is now. CHC also have a decent loss of licence and pension plan. I've been treated at the SOS clinic and carried patients they've prepared for emergency repatriation (including one CHC engineer) and can testify to the excellence of the service they give. If Bristow think that just talking about a change to 6/6 will tempt any pilots to change to them from CHC rather than the other way around, they will have to offer more than just an equal time roster. The 'old' Bristow used to have good pension and loss of licence schemes, but about all they've kept since the Americanisation of the company is their health insurance (which is no benefit at all if you're suffering from cerebral malaria and wondering if the local hospital you're on the way to will be able to do anything to save your life
). What extra measures have they taken in Eket now to improve personal security or get decent medical facilities in place if their pilots or engineers are injured in another attack?
For the oil companies to deny any responsibility in all this is morally indefensible when they know they have much greater resources than any of their subcontractors. It's also time the Nigerian government faced up to its responsibility for the personal safety of its citizens and expatriate workers who keep the oil flowing so their overseas bank accounts are kept well topped up
. It's obvious that its own security forces are completely incapable of ensuring the safety of workers in the oil industry, so maybe it's time the oil companies started putting pressure on the government to be allowed to use the services of companies such as Blackwater or Combat Solutions. We all know that the chances of that happening are completely unlikely, so we have to keep up the pressure on our various employers to do much better in the provision of proper security, including having decent and roadworthy vehicles capable of running from an ambush if necessary (4 wheel drive should be the norm), properly trained security in adequate numbers (Pointer just don't cut the mustard
), decent onsite healthcare providers with the highest possible standards of trauma care (backstreet clinics with native doctors just won't do any more
), emergency repatriation insurance (no more just being stuck on a scheduled flight to Europe and being told to go and visit a hospital there). With all of that, plus a 6/6 roster and a decent salary, maybe, just maybe, there will be enough crew to keep the aircraft flying in Nigeria during the turbulent run-up to the elections of 2007.