UK Contractors Plan Strike Action Offshore

UK trade Union Unite has set dates for a strike after a meeting with offshore operators Aker (Elgin-Franklin) and Petrofac (Alwyn and Dunbar), it said late March 4. The union was informed by Aker and Petrofac that the owner, French Total, would not change its position in the dispute, which centres on both companies proposing to change the shift rotation from 2:3 to the "hated" 3:3/3:4 rotation, and to reduce the existing terms and conditions.

Aker and Petrofac have correspondingly issued redundancy notices as of March 4, and begun a consultation period on terminating and re-engaging all workers: 30 days in Aker's case and 45 in Petrofac's.

Unite has now issued further dates of industrial action on the Elgin-Franklin, North Alwyn and Dunbar platforms as part of discontinuous strike action. This will now consist of two 24-hour stoppages starting 07:00 on March 19 and April 2, Unite said. 

The action follows the continuous ban on overtime which is scheduled to start 00:01 hours on March 11, and the three 24-hour stoppages already scheduled to begin at 07:00 hours on March 11, 17 and April 12.

Unite said its members had voted constructively against the 3:3 or 3:4 rotas and the issue of redundancy notices was "scandalous" and would not go unchallenged. "For this reason we have had no option but to increase the scheduled days of industrial action," it said. "Unite will robustly defend the interests of our members and will confront any intimidation by Aker and Petrofac blow by blow until they see sense."

Unite members at the Shetland Gas Plant are also seriously considering further industrial action as Aker served redundancy notices to the workforce on the same basis. A series of 24-hour stoppages has already been announced at the Shetland Gas plant, on alternate Wednesdays starting March 13, and more are being considered.

Unite said: "The severe actions taken by Aker at the Shetland Gas Plant shows complete disregard for Unite's members whose loyalty has been rewarded with attempts to impose the dreaded 3:3/3:4 rota system. No constructive dialogue has been afforded through the period of negotiation with a 'take it or leave it' attitude being stubbornly emphasised by Aker's representatives. This draconian behaviour will be fiercely challenged and Unite will continue to defend the interests of all its members in the forthcoming dispute."