mikudagur 29. august 2007síða 24

24 OFFSHORE EUROPE 2007 Sosialurin 29. august 2007 PAM Offshore is not just sitting around after the dual taxation agreement has been signed between the UK and the Faroes – “We have already done preliminary investigations”, says Mr Gunnar Mohr, CEO PAM Offshore, which is a daughter company of Tórshavnar Skipasmiðja, has for a few years had people working abroad in the oil industry. To date most of them have been working within the Norwegian oil industry, where a dual tax agreement exists. The newly signed tax agreement with Great Britain, which hopefully will come into force on the 1st of January 2008, has most likely provided PAM Offshore with another leg to stand upon. Through this agreement, all questionable and doubtful taxation issues ought to be resolved, which should enable Faroese working in the UK and vice versa, only having to pay one tax according to the rules and regulations in the agreement. This new situation has prompted Mr Mohr, the CEO at PAM Offshore, to turn his eyes towards the British mainland: - “This agreement opens up the option to send people to work in the UK also, and we are in the process of investigating the possibilities”, says Mr Mohr. He will however not give any details, but says PAM Offshore has had contact with UK companies. Shortage of labourers in the Faroes There are already many Faroese skilled labourers working abroad, but there are not many foreign skilled labourers working in the Faroes. In several vocations there is a shortage of labourers in the Faroes, and therefore Mr Mohr says it is important that the door is also opened at the other end: - “We cannot barricade ourselves in our own little world”, he says. The Faroe Minister for fiscal affairs, Mr Magni Laksafoss is in complete agreement and says it is very important we open up our labour market to foreigners, but under structured and controlled conditions: -“There is a huge demand for labourers all over Europe and this is coming in the wake of the ever increasing wave of senior citizens (More and more are getting older, but fewer children are being born, Edit.) Therefore the shortage of labour is not just a problem for us, but all over Europe”, he points out. One thing is to open up the labour market, another thing is to see to it that you do not lose control: -“It is also important that the people support the idea of importing foreign labour to the Faroes”, says Mr Laksafoss. PAM Offshore situr ikki sjóvarfallið av sær, nú tey skattligu ivamálini eru beind av vegnum millum Føroyar og Bretland. – Vit hava longu skattað dýpið har niðri, sigur Gunnar Mohr, stjóri Felagið PAM Offshore, ið er dóttirfelag hjá Skipasmiðjuni, hevur í nøkur ár havt starvsfólk í arbeiði í oljuvinnu uttanlands. Higartil hava flest teirra arbeitt í norskari oljuvinnu, har samskattaavtalan millum Norðurlond, sum Føroyar eru partur av, er galdandi. Men við nýggju samskattaavtaluni við Bretland, sum væntandi kemur í gildi 1. januar 2008, hevur PAM Offshore fingið eitt nýtt bein at standa á. Við hesi avtalu skuldu allir skattligir ivaspurningar verið beindir av vegnum, so at føroyingar sum fara til Bretlands at arbeiða, ella bretar sum koma hendanvegin at arbeiða, bert verða skattaðir einaferð samsvarandi teimum reglum, sum eru galdandi í sáttmálanum. Hetta hevur fingið Gunnar Mohr, stjóra í PAM Offshore, at venda eyguni móti bretska meginlandinum. - Hendan avtalan opnar møguleikan at senda fólk tann vegin eisini at arbeiða, og vit eru í gongd við at kanna møguleikar, sigur Gunnar Mohr, sum tó ikki vil siga nærri, hvørjar møguleikar tey kanna. Kortini avdúkar hann, at PAM Offshore hevur havt samband við bretskar fyritøkur. Trot á arbeiðsmegi í Føroyum Tað eru longu nógvir føroyskir handverkarar, sum arbeiða uttanlands, men í Føroyum eru ikki nógvir útlendskir handverkarar. Í nógvum vinnum er trot á arbeiðsmegi her heima. Tí heldur Gunnar Mohr tað vera av stórum týdningi, at ”latið verður upp í hinum endanum eisini”, sum hann málber seg. - Vit kunnu sjálvsagt ikki byrgja okkum inni í einari ostaklokku, sigur hann. Magni Laksafoss, landsstýris- maður í fíggjarmálum, er púra samdur í, at tað hevur stóran týdning at lata upp fyri útlendskari arbeiðsmegi, men undir ”skipaðum viðurskiftum”, sum hann málber seg. - Tað er stórur eftirspurningur eftir arbeiðsmegi í øllum Evropa, og kemur hetta í kjalarvørrinum á vaksandi eldrabylgjuni (alsamt fleiri gerast eldri, men færri børn verða fødd, blaðm.). Tí er mangul upp á arbeiðskraft ikki bert ein trupulleiki hjá okkum, men í øllum Evropa, vísir hann á. Men eitt er at lata arbeiðs- marknaðin upp, annað er at syrgja fyri, at ein ikki missur tamarhaldið. - Tað hevur eisini týdning, at fólkið tekur undir við, at fremmand arbeiðsmegi kemur til Føroya, sigur Magni Laksafoss at enda. Dual tax agreement opens doors for PAM Offshore Neyvan nøk Flestu hondverkararnir hjá PAM Offshore, sum hava starvast í norskari oljuvinni, eru stutt síðani komnir heim til Føroya í summarfrí. Einir 40 mans, flestu elektrikarar og nakrir sveisarar, hava starvast Egersund, har ein flótandi flaki (ein lektari) júst er gjørdur liðugur og leveraður til Kashagan við Kaspiska Havið. Eftir at arbeiðið við lektaranum hevði drigið út, eydnaðist at fáa hetta liðugt tann 23. august, so at By Hilmar Simonsen Samskattaavtala opnar dyr fyri PAM Offshore No one made redundant at PAM Offshore: Most skilled labourers work­ ing for PAM Offshore, have been working in the Nor­ wegian oil industry, and have recently returned home for their summer holidays. App. 40 men, mainly electricians and welders, have been stationed in Egersund, where a floating barge has just been completed and delivered to Kashagan by the Caspian Sea. After the work on the barge became prolonged, they succeeded in completing the work on the 23rd of August and could return home for their summer holidays, but several similar barges are to be constructed, and there are several indicators hat the same men will be requested to continue working after the summer holidays. New plans are being drawn up, but it looks like work will begin again in September”, says Mr Mohr, CEO. He expects all the skilled labourers to retain their jobs as they are so well liked in Norway: ­“We are trying to get as many as possible to go to Norway”, he assures us. In northern Norway, at Melkøya, PAM Offshore has had many people employed in connection with the development of the Snøhvit­ field – now only four remain. This project is almost com­ pleted and the whole installa­ tion has been delivered, and subsequently people are being withdrawn from the area. Gunnar Mohr, CEO, PAM Offshore