This week, the Private Oil Workers union and business chambers They made a public complaint about hiring companies from other provinces, without respecting Provincial Law 3,338 on “Strengthening and Development of the Neuquén Value Chain”. However, the president of the Adeneu Pyme Center and secretary of Production and Industry of Neuquén, Juan Peláez, pointed out that There was no formal complaint to the enforcement authority about the incident and they maintain controls.
In the statement they released, the general secretary of the union, Marcelo Rucci, pointed out that the law is “more an expression of wish than anything else.” In this regard, Peláez expressed in dialogue with Energía On that it is an accusation “false and unfair. Doesn’t stick to the data«.
The Adeneu Pyme Center is the enforcement authority of the law that was modified in 2022, when the new regulations were sanctioned. «The progress that has been made is innumerable.: in the previous law there were 95 companies certified as Neuquén suppliers. Today there are 384 companies certified as local suppliers,” he noted.
«In the last 18 months, 21 companies have been certified per month. Also, more than 70% of the contracts carried out by obligated subjects are from local SMEs.«he highlighted. Those that have this requirement are concessionaire companies, which are dedicated to the exploration, exploitation, transportation, fractionation, distribution and refineries of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons; and those of complementary services.
The public complaint from the union and the business chambers indicates that there are companies that come from other provinces, Chubut and Mendoza for contracts with operators. «When we receive complaints of non-compliance with the law, we act. What has happened so far is that only one camera presents them, that of Añelo. Six complaints have been filed, five are from this chamber,” he explained.
«We need more responsible actions from all actors. If there are complaints to make, the area in the Adeneu Pyme Center, in a media manner, remains as public complaints, but without concrete data to act on,” he noted.
The control they carry out It consists of a review of a central platform, where all companies are obliged to upload the contracts they have made and those they plan to carry out for the following semester. These data have a deadline of February 15 and August 15 of each year. Then carry out audits.
«The concern that other companies from other places will come is understandable, but it is even logical, because Vaca Muerta is a name established throughout the world. The important thing is that we know that there is legislation that is applied. It is necessary that we all handle ourselves responsibly. If there is any non-compliance, let us know accordingly,” he said.
Vaca Muerta SMEs: for the first time they sanction companies for not complying with the Compre Neuquino
«Of 49 subjects bound by law, companies from the first and second ring of the Oil&Gas industry, There were only three that were in non-compliance. For the first time in history, fines were applied,” said Peláez. These are the companies Calfrac, TGN and Petrex.
These three firms did not upload the information to the Centro SME platform. «On the expiration date, August 15, 2023, they did not do it. You are given a warning. As of February 15, 2024, a fine of 32 million pesos was applied to each of them. Two of those three have already communicated to regularize the situation«, expressed Peláez.
«If they continue in this position of non-compliance a heavier fine will be applied next time«he assured. Provincial regulations establish a preference for local labor, no less than 60 percent of the total amount contracted.
The amount that firms must pay will be used for training programs for employees of companies in the sector and a competition among students of technical schools. «We want to promote the companies and natural resources that are from Neuquén. As a Province we have to bet on the development of quality employment and we have to achieve it together,” he concluded.
