Oh - Man !

[Lachlan09]

I read today that UAE troops have been sent to Bahrain and that Saudi forces will soon follow suit.

At the moment, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait don't appear to have apparent disruption or problems.

Here in Oman, violence has been restricted to the Sohar riots where a supermarket went up in flames over a week ago as 2 Omanis died and six were injured by rubber bullets and yesterday in Ibri where a building was trashed and cars were torched. The authorities have arrested ring-leaders for the Ibri riot.

There's a growing undercurrent of dissatisfaction here as people who were quiet are now emboldened to let their feelings be known. It mainly centres around wages, censorship, corrurption, who owns what etc, foreigners working etc. Only thing is, there’s no leader or focal point for it. More and more you hear of strikes or protests. There’s no unions here and these actions are individual groups of people. Some just want more money while some want big changes, (while all publically respecting the Sultan of course !). There are also splits among groups of Omanis who support or oppose different people or ideals. The clans are alive and well !

However, some of those striking are very short-sighted. Hotel workers striking for more pay and going on the street to blockade their own hotels, don't realise their action prevents guests from enjoying their vacations and even the basics of eating. That news soon hits the tourist gravevine and word gets out. Then ? Oman popularity right down in tourist destinations. Result ? Lay-offs at hotels instead of wage increases. Some hotels are wise enough to conduct negotiations quietly without need for demonstrations.

Meanwhile, the armed forces, police, government and large government-owned and private companies have been ordered to take on board many new placements upwards of 50,000 at this moment and more to come.

The company I work for already has a strong Omani staffing, aprt of the Omanisisation process, an ongoing process of training and integration. That works, but perhaps this current knee-jerk situation will result in many foreigners like me being kicked out soon. Who knows ? If so, let it be.

However, the clamour by some to replace with haste all foreigners with Omanis in jobs – including Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Indonesians, Chinese, Westerners etc will result in Oman going down the tubes. Omanis do not have either the skills at this time or in many cases, a work ethic. The skills are getting there, but it’s not there yet. But if foreigners are kicked out, will Omanis do all the work ? Will an Omani woman demean to work as a housemaid, an indispensible feature of Oman life ? Highly doubtful ! They can lord it over some poor Indonesian but it will be harder to do it with an Omani helper – also harder to keep their wages, assault them or turn a blind eye as hubby sexually harrasses them.

Pakistanis do the dirty heroic jobs no-one else will do. Omanis like to do jobs like shops, banks, offices, taxis - jobs where they won't get too sweaty and dirty. What about when they have to crew the yellow trucks whcih clean out septic tanks ?

Currently, foreign-owned companies established in Oman have to maintain an Omani workforce percentage. However, the main contractors on a major project have had to accept the Omani workforce arriving much later than their Indian etc workers doing the same job, doing not much while here and then disappearing at lunchtime, rather than late afternoon – for the same money. Not much of a work ethic. Will that improve when all these thousands of new jobs come along ? I doubt it. The government just disbanded a number of ministries and departments to improve efficiency and reduce corruption and cronyism. Now all those new jobs being announced – will that help efficiency ?

Well all people like me can do is work away like normal and brush up our CV’s just in case. Perhaps it’s time to put out feelers to the East.

It’s funny to think, when I was living and working in Indonesia, they had a revolution in 1998 and the President was toppled, among increasing bloodshed which necessitated my family’s evacuation; in 2001, while living/working in the Philippines, the President was toppled while I witnessed the political machinations at close range (our company’s Philippine mentor was one of the perpetrators of the political revolution and I met his colleagues including future President Gloria Magpacal Arroyo) and now, here we are. Do I bring bad luck when I work abroad ?

Well, if I think I'll be likely to get my marching orders, I'll try to get in first and have a job ready elsewhere. I must admit I've always much preferred SE Asia and hope I can work there again. The truth be told, I was recently approached by an agency for the region and I may take them up on it sooner than later.

[Lachlan09]

We've just heard that our company is to take on a quota of Omanis to be trained up as QS's. That is fine, as it’s been a long time coming and this part of the World lags behind, for instance the Far East, where local QS’s employed by professional firms have been the norm for getting on 30 years. Here in Oman, the Omani social structure to date has meant that a mere sprinkling of locals have shown interest in becoming professional QS’s, most preferring an easy life in a government department. Therefore QS offices here are made up of Sri Lankan QS’s with usually British or Australian senior QS’s and managers.

That is to change in a short time-span, as will the composition of many other professions represented here, such as Architects and Engineers, plus all manner of offices and businesses.

The key to it all though has to be training.

Even the premier colleges here do not run courses leading to a QS professional qualification. They have an American-orientated measurement course which is only a drop in the ocean of what professional QS’s do. What is required is an accredited course leading to a recognized qualification, such as is found in the UK. Obviously, we will give on the job training and look to their development but that is just part of what they need. Further, the professional body to which I belong, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, only has a local representation which is geared toward established, qualified members like me. They will have to create a structured programme of training for graduates and trainees.

Alternatively, a link with a UK QS practice having a training structure needs to be established by which Omanis can work in the UK, train and qualify, then return here. It would also round them out and give them experience of working in a professional environment, honing their English language and management skills.

Exciting times – a time of change !

[Polwarth]

Plenty of UK universities have links with foreign universities - for instance, I know of links with Malaysia and China. Perhaps this is an opportunity for a forward-thinking UK uni to fill their boots?

[Lachlan09]

Strathclyde has a link to Caledonian Engineering College, Muscat but they don't do a QS course.

I've written a short paper to my professional body on the need for a QS professional training structure here in Oman which I anticipate will be brought up on the agenda of the Global seminar of the RICS in London on 6th April.