WORK AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE WENTWORTH REFINERY

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WORK AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE WENTWORTH REFINERY
View of Engen Refinery from the Bluff Ridge RIDGE
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Durbans Oil Refineries
Sapref
Engen
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The Wentworth Refinery

• South Africas first and largest oil refinery.
• Founded in 1953 after close consultation with
  Apartheid state.
• Situated in the South Durban basin.
• Situated alongside Colored and Indian
  communities.
• A source of employment for artisans of Wentworth
  at annual maintenance shutdown and four-yearly
  turnaround.
• The artisans lie at the heart of an informal
  migratory network of engineering workers.

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The South Durban basin Not as people-less as
it seems
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Wentworth Refinery

• Work has always been temporary by nature and done
  through contractors.
• But work is now scarcer and harder to find
• Because of the rise of labour brokering
• Because of multi-skilling
• Because the Wentworth artisans skill monopoly
  has been challenged.
• Because of the strike in May 2001.
• Not because of automation!

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Wentworth Refinery The Future

• Mini-shutdowns are unsustainable
• Wentworths artisans will continue working
  outside South Durban and outside R.S.A
• Shutdown and turnaround work will remain
• More industrial conflict appears inevitable as
  long as exploitation continues.
• NEW petro-chemical clusters more pollution but
  Wentworths artisans will benefit from similar
  work.

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Wentworth Refinery

• Strike of May 2001 involving 3000 turnaround
  workers was provoked by the labour brokers tax
  increase.
• The Real issues Engens use of labour brokers
  Apartheid wage exploitation
• Engens response to break up the shutdown
  process into smaller parts mini-shutdowns.

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Wentworth refinery

• Technology has reduced sulphur emissions.
• Technology Increased productivity.
• Technology Increased profit!
• Worker Control is poor Contract workers
• Automation made some jobs redundant
• But most work at Engen has always been at
  shutdown and turnaround manual work that cannot
  be automated.

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WENTWORTH 2002 GOVERNMENT VILLAGE FLATS
ADJACENT TO ENGEN
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2002 Apartheid era security fences
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Engen
Contractor
Employment Structure at Engen
Sub-Contractor
Labour Broker
Contract Worker
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Work at Wentworth Refinery.
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SO2 EMISSION DATA FOR ENGEN REFINERY
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Strike
SO2 EMISSION DATA FOR ENGEN REFINERY
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SO2 EMISSION DATA FOR ENGEN REFINERY
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Sulphur emission during shutdown
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The paradox of Wentworth refinery
The pollution kills the pipes need fixing.