Media scare ExxonMobil at workshop

Jul 20, 2017 News, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....onmobil-at-workshop/

– company officials say they were caught off guard

A two-day workshop on solid waste management kicked off yesterday at the Savannah Suite of the Pegasus Hotel. The workshop represented a joint effort between the Ministry of Communities and US oil giant ExxonMobil.

It appears that a breakdown in communication between the two parties left members of the media puzzled about being able to cover the workshop at all.

An ExxonMobil official made it clear that the media was not invited to the event and that more specifically, no invitation was sent to Kaieteur News to attend the workshop.

However, Head of the Sanitation Department, Gordon Gilkes, explained that it was the Ministry that invited the press. The ExxonMobil official still insisted that the company was not aware of this.

Another official working with the USA oil giant expressed disappointment after learning that the media had turned up to an event that was supposed to be closed to stakeholders.

The official said that they have been essentially, “caught off guard” by the media. It was also evident that there was zero preparation for media operatives too.

Gilkes, in an attempt to smooth things over, went on to explain to the ExxonMobil officials that it is normal for the Ministry to send out invitations to the press to cover such events especially when one takes into consideration the fact that the Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, was supposed to be in attendance.

Bulkan was however, unable to make it to the opening session of the workshop.

Gilkes acknowledged that while the Ministry did not inform ExxonMobil that the press was going to be invited, he said that he did not think it would have been an issue.

After some discussions, ExxonMobil agreed with officials of the Ministry of Communities that the press can cover the event but only the opening session. It was felt that it was not advisable for the media to be present for the entire workshop which would feature breaks for question and answer sessions.

The workshop was chaired by Senior Consultant of Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Hannah Beeby and Paul Fletcher, ERM’s Technical Director.

According to its website, ERM is a leading global provider of environmental, health, safety, risk, and social consulting services.

The ERM officials laid out a detailed programme for the workshop which includes provision of information on integrated waste management, waste management strategy and plans, waste management technologies, the use of economic measures for cost recovery, waste characterization, classification and coding, waste tracking and data along with an introduction to tiger tanks operation.

The workshop ends today but another is expected to be held later this year.