Work

[Cav]

I've really concentrated on keeping my head down and keeping quiet. I've not spoken up about anything unless I'm almost certain, it does mean I'm not asking many questions and searching for the answers myself which is time consuming but so far this has been well received - a logic I'm not understanding personally.

Currently I'm wading through an updated ISO standard and identifying changes, things we don't do that we should do and everything else surrounding this. It isn't a fun job but it is giving me great insight into why we have some of the processes we have which I'm happy about.

[Kwacky]

If it's reducing conflict and stress then it sounds like it's worth your while.

[Cav]

Yeah seems that way.. doesn't match my logical understanding of the situation but that's fine by me.

[Kwacky]

I don't like the way I have to work, but my stress levels have dropped right off since I accepted this is the best way for all concerned.

As you know, me keeping my mouth shut is always going to be a struggle

[Cav]

Haha... I don't know what you mean.....

[kiwikrasher]

Our upper management are a bunch of self serving bullsh*t artists..

June 2022 - When I missed out on the Sydney Water Operations job and the Defence Fuels Consultant role disappeared due to the company not getting the contract renewal, I thought, I'll hang in out here, it's only going to be another 6-8 months. That was the line we were being fed.

February 2023 rolled passed, still producing, MOC's raised to push out statutory maintenance and inspections, due to impending cease of production. June - July was reported. yet we kept going...

the carrot of redundancy has been constantly dangled and moved. Last swing, we were given a thorough briefing by the Executive Management Team. Solid timeframes and production end date rolled out. Non-negotiable equipment hours, delayed mandatory inspections, economics of production all given to prove they really meant it this time.

The line in the sand was the spading (blanking off) our production pipeline at the Darwin end after onshore shutdown. Post that, we were producing just to pump up the 520km pipeline to around 200 bar to provide a volume of fuel gas to run power generation during decommissioning phase then that was the end. Darwin LNG was shutdown and the spade actioned mid February 2024.

Get out to work this trip, and low and behold, we've signed a contract to continue to provide gas for the domestic market (take off is up stream of said spade) till end of march, with options through to June. Our major 34 MW turbines that run the export compressors, which had 17 and 28 days respectively of hours left, have had a magical pen swiped over some paperwork and now can run pasted their 25,000 hr limit to 90,000 hrs with 4,000 hr periodic boroscoping to assess condition.

We could be here well into next year now. If that had of been my knowledge back in mid 2022 I would've kept looking for work. The gamble now is the place could fall over at any moment, the remaining 3 wells ( of 24 ) are on the razors edge. they could limp on for months, or load up and stop producing in weeks.

My redundancy is going to be a heavy 6 figures after tax.With that I could take my time to find a job that I really enjoy or even do further study/degree in a field that would sooth my soul (have been looking at Occupational Therapy). But hanging around here and constantly flying away is eroding my mental health and sanity. The alternative is to find any job and jump, but risk being stuck in something I dislike and see a life changing redundancy dissolve.

I appreciate it looks like a extremely privileged rant and on face value I should be extremely happy I'm still getting paid an incredible wage. Yet I'm somehow at my lowest job satisfaction level of my life and my family are becoming increasingly concerned about my mindset.

I literally don't know wtf to do.

[Kwacky]

It's going to take the wind out of your sails if you've had an end date in mind.

You've done this far, I don't think you should jump and risk losing redundancy. You've earned that.

Time to turn in to Dory

[kiwikrasher]

Redundancy was slated for Aug/Sep. Production end February (now) and 6 months decommissioning.

Byron finishes school then and also turns 18. As soon as he's legally an adult he said he doesn't want to live with his mum. I wanted to be around to help him transition into work/tertiary study. He's not capable of managing by himself and Jess is a week away from starting her Midwifery post grad which entails shift work.

If it was just me at stake, 100% would be committed to hanging in as long as it takes. But it's getting to the stage I'm affecting my immediate family and their lives as well. That's the thing that's killing me the most.

I'm on my second night shift atm, at peak fatigue and disillusion. I'll give myself an upper cut and soldier on I'm sure. Just needed a rant to people that aren't also invested in my decision.

[C00kiemonster]

Tricky.

Management sound like they are stringing you all along as they know you will all want redundancy. They may be trying to piss you off so you do leave. Cheaper for then perhaps?

Maybe keep your head down but look too? Be better for your mental health.

If something that suits does come along it may suit you better to leave and be closer to home anyway. At least you have a bit of control or options then ?

Things always look worse when your tired

[kiwikrasher]

the really bumhole part is when they bought our facility our redundancies were paid to them as part of the settlement, as our previous owners had a very generous enhanced redundancy policy. The current owners pride themselves on being a "Low Cost Operator" and their redundancy policy would have us receive almost half of the enhanced policy. So as part of the sale, the previous owners ensured we wouldn't get short changed and made them agree to grandfather the redundancy agreement and funded it. Since then about a 1/3 of the workforce have left (moved to other gas projects/companies) so they have already made money off that. Yet as you say, it regularly feels like they are trying to squeeze us out and reduce the redundancy liability. Except now we are below minimum manning and it's getting a bit wild to cover jobs. On nights I'm regularly covering two roles. We have 5 outside positions, and at times there is only 2 of us covering those roles.

Just another part of what is frustrating us all.

[D41]

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/unive ... 0721143834

[Kwacky]

I take it there's no one at at HR you can talk to you get a better picture for the next 12 months?

[kiwikrasher]

I take it there's no one at at HR you can talk to you get a better picture for the next 12 months?

Nah, this is all down to Operations. HR have zero clue or effect on when we'll wind up.

Nearly all the long term core crew guys out here are feeling like me. That's what makes it worse, the moral here is toast.

Really our biggest gripe is not that production is still trickling on, but that we were given a definitely time frame only 6 weeks ago and they've just gone against everything they said.

[Cav]

This really sucks mate and I'm sorry this is happening to you. Is there anyway this rig can be sabotaged?!

[kiwikrasher]

This really sucks mate and I'm sorry this is happening to you. Is there anyway this rig can be sabotaged?!

SWIM and colleagues discuss that regularly, just as fantasy of course

And yes, though it's falling apart on its own these days