Thread regarding Cenovus Energy layoffs

Look, Husky has 3 kinds of contractors:

• Specialized roles where very experienced career contractors are used
• Field roles
• Fill in roles where full time equivalent work needed to be done but the organization wouldn’t grant a “box” because of the hiring freezes that have been constant over the last few years. These roles are contracted “yearly” to avoid it looking like an employee role but effectively have no end date.

The first two categories were paid well and follow the logic discussed in the two posts below.

There are/were a LOT of full time contractors that were subcontracted through agencies and were subject to strict contracts with very few rights. They are expected to be employees in every way including performance and hours but not given any “benefits” such as sick days, time off, bonuses, incentive pay or anything else. These contractors are generally paid terribly. I was. I was also one of the highest performing people in my department and my management tried hard to get the company to hire me but they couldn’t. I got the legal 2 weeks “notice” when I went and nothing else.

Contractors sign away their right to pursue anything legally as part of their contracts.

Clearly the person posting about how contractors are super well paid and are “doing it wrong” if they aren’t had no idea what they’re talking about.

If you were a contractor and were not getting paid more than the permanent staff, you were definitely doing something wrong. Contractors typically get paid 30-40% more (gross) than permanent staff. Many people during the boom years wanted contract positions for the higher gross (and tax writeoffs) and were willing to forego health benefits, share options, etc, etc. When the industry goes in the tank, they want to convert to permanent positions, but it is usually to late.
Everyone has to live with their career decisions. Whether that decision is to be a contractor or permanent employee, but also the industry they choose. Oil and gas is historically known to be a high risk sector with a significantly higher risk of layoff for all staff. The industry pays higher salaries to compensate for this risk.

I was a contractor and I chose to NOT renewed contract after Covid struck. ( Better jobs WITH benefits elsewhere. )
And contractors don't get paid more than staff. My fellow contractors were all s—ing up to actually get hired on as staff due to higher wages and benefits. Often they expected us to forego our breaks and lunch to meet deadlines. If contractor happen to get sick they face the financial penalty. Also I had to take days off at own expense to take a course without reimbursement for my time or tuition. I took the hit on hopes that job would get better and lead to opportunities. They also do not invest in contractors as they are expendable and replaceable. Contractors do not get severance. This makes the layoffs for contractors a cheap option for the company. And lord know they need cheap options with all their debt!
Management have to look after shareholders too and downsizing with the merger makes them lean and attractive to investors. Many staff have invested in the 20 for 20. (BTW: That wasn't available to contractors.)
Consider this: Losing your job is in the TOP 5 most stressful events in your life. Is it a mental health issue for most? YES, of course it is! . Don't diminish one mental health concern for another. They are all very impacted on our lives.
Having said that we all knew as contractors what our situation was going into the job. You can wait to move up In the company: if your lucky you might land a real job. Or you can use contract positions as a stepping stone to a better job elsewhere. I did the latter. If the economy starts moving again many workers from CVE can be fully employed in jobs related to the industry.
Good luck to all of you past fellow employees!

You do know that contractors get paid more than an employee would for the same role, right? Built into that extra cost is the lack of paid holidays, benefits, and the fact that they carry more risk if they are let go because they don't get benefits. An employee will often put in more hours than a standard 40 hour a week for special projects, extra work, etc. etc. without reimbursement. A contractor gets paid for every hour, including time to drive to an airport for work travel, time on the flight, etc. etc. etc. The model is different. You need to educate yourself before making comments about class action, and proving someone is not an employee (this is also extremely easy to do since the two are set up in the system, paid, categorized and identified differently).

Also...MENTAL HEALTH claims from receiving emails for things they don't get????

Don't diminish people who actually struggle with mental health issues by trying to make it a "route" to be litigious. This level of ignorance and entitlement is exactly what k–ls companies.