A growing wave of industrial unrest is hitting the United Kingdom’s Continental Shelf (UKCS) as trade union, Unite, announced on Tuesday that offshore workers employed by Petrofac on the FPF1 platform, and the Wood Group UK on TAQA platforms, were being balloted for strike action.
More than 1 300 Unite members are now involved in a series of disputes. This includes Petrofac Facilities Management on BP’s platforms, Odfjell Technology, Stork and Bilfinger.
The latest Petrofac Facilities Management dispute involves around 50 workers on the FPF1 platform, and it is centred on working rotas. The company made a profit of £12.5 million (R272.m) in 2020 in its last lodged full accounts.
Unite said in a statement that offshore workers could be asked to work at any time for no additional payment.
The strike ballot includes electrical, production and mechanical technicians in addition to deck crew, scaffolders and crane operators.
In a separate dispute, Unite is balloting around 80 members working for the Wood Group UK on TAQA platforms, Cormorant Alpha, North Cormorant and Tern Alpha. Unite is demanding the reinstatement of a 10% cut to salaries made in 2015, worth around £7 000 (R152 381) a year, and an enhanced redundancy and retention scheme. The ballot includes electrical, production and mechanical technicians, along with pipefitters, platers, riggers and deck crew.
Both ballots run for four weeks, opening on February 17 and closing on March 17. Industrial action could take place in early April following a successful ballot.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said “corporate greed” in the oil and gas industry “is at its peak in our lifetime.
“BP and Shell recently announced combined record profits totalling £55 billion (R1.19 trillion). Offshore workers, including our members at Petrofac and the Wood Group, however, are not seeing any of these record profits flowing into their pay packets. There is now a growing wave of industrial unrest hitting the offshore sector and Unite will support our members every step of the way in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
Unite last week blasted the UK Government's inaction on taxing oil firms as BP posted the biggest profits in its history, doubling to £23bn (R500bn) in 2022. BP’s bonanza profits come after Shell reported earnings of £32bn (R696bn), bringing the combined total profits of the top two energy companies in Britain to a record £55bn (R1.19trn).
John Boland, Unite industrial officer, said: “Unite is balloting our Petrofac members on the FPF1 platform, and those employed by the Wood Group on TAQA platforms. At the heart of both these disputes is a failure to provide a decent and safe working environment, whether that relates to salary cuts, working rotas, or enforcing draconian clawback days. Our members are rightly angry at the corporate arrogance shown by offshore operators and contractors.”
