Community Grievance Mechanism

The Community Grievance Mechanism (CGM) is an important pillar of ExxonMobil’s stakeholder engagement process worldwide, and central to the ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) venture. It is intended to address grievances that originate from EMGL exploration, projects, and operational activities. EMGL’s CGM is a structured process that creates an opportunity for community members and other stakeholders to raise grievances directly to EMGL and have them addressed in a prompt and respectful manner.

The CGM will be made available to stakeholders during engagements (both formal and informal) verbally and in writing, through periodic social media posts, and online at EMGL’s website at www.exxonmobil.com/guyana.

The EMGL CGM was designed in alignment with internal and external best practices including the World Bank¹, International Finance Corporation², and IPIECA³. 

In EMGL, the Socioeconomic Manager coordinates the overall CGM process. The Socioeconomic Team (typically the Socioeconomic Advisor) leads the day-to-day functioning of the CGM. 

Participation in the Community Grievance Mechanism does not in any manner negate an individual’s right to pursue other remedies as provided under Guyana law. Equally, EMGL retains its rights under law to pursue legal remedies.

Scope

The CGM addresses EMGL-related individual, community, and other stakeholder grievances. This includes grievances concerning both offshore and onshore activities. The process is designed to receive, assess, and respond to grievances and provides a mechanism to identify and address trends or systemic sources of concern. 

Company and contractor workplace grievances, such as pay, overtime, and working conditions, are not managed through this process, but through processes established by each employer.

EMGL reserves the right not to address feedback which it reasonably considers amounts to no more than general, unspecified, and therefore un-actionable dissatisfaction with the venture, is otherwise malicious or vexatious in nature, or concerns a matter for which the company has no formal responsibility (for example, a matter that other parties, including the government steward).⁴

EMGL expects onshore and larger offshore contractors to utilize a CGM process aligned with the principles outlined within this document.     

Application of the CGM

On a daily basis, EMGL receives formal and informal feedback from stakeholders. While all feedback is important to review, assess, and respond, only grievances fall within the scope of the CGM and thus are governed by the mechanism described within this document. To clarify the application of the CGM, EMGL uses the following definitions:  

CGM applies to: 

1. Grievance – A complaint that expresses discontent, negative impact, financial loss or physical harm or an allegation of tangible damage or impact that occurred as a result of company or contractor actions. Grievances, also sometimes called complaints, are typically accompanied by a request for resolution and rectification. For Example: “EMGL construction trucks are creating dusty conditions along the road affecting my residence”. 

CGM does not apply to:

2. Concern – A matter that engages a person’s attention, interest, or care, or that affects a person’s welfare or happiness related to questions or requests for information or general perceptions, unrelated to a specific impact or incident. For Example: “EMGL is contributing to traffic in Georgetown”. 

3. Issue – A point in a question or a matter that is in dispute between contending parties or a pre-existing complaint or concern between two non-Project entities, one of which may attempt to use EMGL’s activities as the leverage to achieve resolution. For Example: “Regulatory agency did not provide sufficient time for public comments”. Issues will be referred to the entities directly involved.

4. Request – Asking for something to be given or done, especially as a favour or courtesy; a solicitation or petition or a communication from a stakeholder requesting something – donation, community project, job, contract, or some other benefit for a group or individual. For Example: “Would like to request a donation to support my community group”. Requests will be forwarded to the most appropriate department for review and consideration. 

5. Guidance – Asking for general advice or information aimed at resolving a problem or difficulty. For Example: “How do I access business opportunities with EMGL?” The Socioeconomic Team would provide a response or re-direct the question to the appropriate department for further action.

Objectives

The objectives of the CGM include⁵:

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with communities affected or potentially affected by our activities  
• Demonstrate EMGL’s commitment to collect, understand, and be responsive to grievances
• Avoid potential impacts by EMGL exploration, project, and operational activities by the early identification of concerns
• Analyze trends to drive continuous performance improvement by reducing repeat grievances
• Identify areas of stakeholder interest to enhance engagement and inform business decisions

EMGL Community Grievance Management (CGM) Process

The CGM Process is illustrated in Figure 1 and described in more detail in Table 1. The process describes who can submit and receive feedback, how it is categorized, assessed, and stewarded to closure. 

Reporting and Monitoring

Monitoring is conducted to measure the effectiveness of the CGM and to identify trends in feedback for continuous improvement of EMGL activities and improved stakeholder engagement.

It is understood that the existence of a large number of grievances from communities is not necessarily indicative of bad performance. Such a number may, in fact, demonstrate a high-quality dialogue and community interface. The goal is to gain trust and confidence on the part of communities that when valid concerns or complaints are appropriately raised, EMGL addresses them and responds accordingly. A grievance process should not place undue emphasis on reducing the number of grievances registered, as they may be seen in many cases as analogous to “near-miss” reports that allow the exploration to address complaints before they get serious.  However, achievement of closure and the average time to achieve closure of grievances are key performance indicators.

The Socioeconomic Team is responsible for monitoring and reporting grievances. On a monthly basis a summary of grievances, status, statistics, and issues will be reviewed to identify any trends. Data typically includes:

• Number of grievances received during reporting period
• Number of grievances closed during reporting period
• Percent of grievances closed in less than 30 days
• Category of grievance
• Distribution of aged grievances (30 to 60 days, 60 to 90 days, more than 90 days).

Note: In line with permit obligations, EMGL reports the number of environmental grievances to the EPA monthly.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

EMGL will manage potential conflicts of interest by segregating the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in the grievance handling process and avoiding placing individuals in a position where conflicts could be perceived to arise. When a grievance relates to a specific EMGL employee or contractor, that person shall not play a role in the grievance handling process outside of providing background information. 

Sample Grievance Form

Contact information

Written:
Socioeconomic Team
ExxonMobil Guyana Limited
86 Duke Street, Kingston
Georgetown, Guyana

Telephone:
+592-623-1176 (Mobile)

Email:
guyanacommunity@exxonmobil.com

Social media:
Grievances received through social media accounts will be routed to the Socioeconomic Team for assessment. 
Facebook and Instagram: @exxonmobilguyana