Texaco - A Follow Up


From: nop03304@mail.telepac.pt (Joćo Pinto)
Subject: Texaco continues disrespecting the individual, and the laws
Date: Sat, 05 Jul 1997 17:24:40 GMT

Grace to the involvement of NAACP and President Kweisi Mfume, last December, Texaco proposed the establishment of new core skills and behaviour standards that should result in long-term cultural changes among their executives. The question, nowadays, it is to verify if Texaco's engagement with this plan is still strategic or is dying after the bad times.

In the USA, where Texaco's image can be strongly damaged without the effectiveness of affirmative-action and equal opportunity programs, we never know if this engagement looks for a biased cultural move, or is only responding to a punctual crisis.

But what about the other places? What about the places where the old style behaviour have been felt for years and years without organisations like the NAACP, a media and a public opinion strong enough to change the old practices? How Texaco is going to face the change in these countries, far away of the eyes and ears of the American people and its anti-discrimination organisations?

Is this a strategic or a cosmetic change? I think the answer is really how will Texaco act in these countries. Angola is the perfect theatre, a good trial, and has a great story. In Angola, Texaco is a production company and operated the offshore block II, managed by a staff originated from the division offices in Coral Gables, FL. (This Division office closed last year). The expatriate staff works on a 28 days work schedule followed by 28 days of vacations. The remainder of the personnel are Angolan employees with a regular work schedule.

The exploration contract in Angola, called the Production Share Agreement (PSA) and the Decree 20/82 of the Angolan legislation require that a certain percentage of oil revenue be spent in technical and management training of the local employees (black angolans) to prepare them to managerial positions. The Decree 20/82 quantifies the goals.

In spite of the training money being spent every year, the results of this process are none. The great majority of managers at Texaco Angola (Texpan) are white expatriates, and the few local black supervisors only manage others black employees, not white expatriates. Why?

Angola is a country that has been in civil war, with all kinds of damaged infra-structures. For that reason Texaco, gave a special statute to this operation, which includes all expenses paid, a rotational 28 days work schedule followed by 28 days rest, an increase of 60% in the salaries, among others privileges for their official executives.

Who even believes that working in Angola is going to be an abnegation, will have a pleasant surprise. Texaco has luxury facilities: A good office with a gymnasium, a five-star staff house with laundry, bar and food service included, beautiful lodging with USA TV, Internet, and at the Sundays, all the opportunities for sea sports are provided with a company boat.

Luanda, the capital, where Texaco Angola (Texpan) has its offices, is a beautiful city, plain of life in spite of the degradation of the war. The weather is splendid and the people is friendly and pleasant. The expatriate community, in Luanda, is large and it is easy to expand the social contacts.

Who is the expatriate executive that wants to be replaced by an Angolan black fellow worker and return back to the USA for a less qualified position? But what if the PSA and the 20/82 decree impose the replacement program? What should be done?

Delay the process. How?

1st): Create an image of minor technical competence and capabilities of the Angolan employee. For that, hire people without the proper skills and potential. Do not practice any effective personnel hiring procedure. 2nd): Justify the training expenses in isolated actions, not in a comprehensive educational program. In the case there any capable worker he will only learn part of the job. 3rd): Eliminate the possibility of effective government fiscalization. Compromise government officials, taking advantage of the war economy and a corrupt environment.

This policy keeps the Angolan employees far from middle and top management positions. A few exceptions happen in areas managed by conscientious expatriate managers who understand these issues, and control themselves, the hiring process.

In 1992, the Coral Gables Division was downsized, and a new management team was assigned to Angola. In order to save jobs of some of their friends in Coral Gables, this management team resolved to assign them, to executive positions in Angola, prejudicing even more the possibility of promotions of the Angolan employees.

By that time, I protested this situation. Texaco's "old style" answer was my immediate dismissal .

I filled a lawsuit with the company ( process 62/94-B of the Luanda Labour Court ) and I won the lawsuit.

After that, Texaco managers have failed to obey the court's decision, practising all kinds of illegal actions to avoid the carrying out of the sentence. Some of these actions can be even classified as criminal according to the legislation.

An Angolan newspaper classified this situation as pure racism. It said that Texaco does not accept the judge's decision because it comes from a black court. More than that, Texaco executives in Angola know that if I was reintegrated, as the judge decided, I would be a symbol for my Angolan colleagues and an engine in the recognition of their qualifications.

There are two clearly defined issues in this Angolan case: The first is exactly the same it was discussed this last November with te tapes case: the problem of establishing a non-discriminatory equal opportunity program for all people, no matter race, religion, sex or nationality. The second is respecting law. It is to be a good citizen, not to consider ourselves above the society, the justice and the ethical principles we promise to obey.

Is Texaco interested in changing the old corporate practices, and it is Mr. P. Bijur, the Texaco Chairman, really engaged in this process as promised last December to NAACP President Mr. Kweisi Mfume?

I think the Angola case can be the answer. The people understand the messages, not through beautiful programs but through the actions, when the problems arise.