Union Issues UK Offshore Strike Dates

UK trade union Unite announced the dates of its planned industrial action on the French Total-owned Elgin-Franklin, Shetland Gas Plant, North Alwyn and Dunbar platforms February 26.

Unite members on Elgin Franklin, North Alwyn and Dunbar will take part in a continuous ban on overtime commencing at 00:01 hours on March 11, the union said. A series of 24-hour stoppages will také place on March 11, March 27 and April 12. A series of 12 three-hour stoppages will take place between March 18 and April 5. At Shetland Gas Plant, 24-hour stoppages will take place on March 13 and 27, April 10 and 27, and May 8.

Unite members voted to approve industrial action on February 22. The platforms, operated by Aker and Petrofac, utilise over two hundred workers. Workers on the Elgin-Franklin platform voted by 88.2% for industrial action; Shetland Gas Plant by 95.1% and North Alwyn and Dunbar platforms by 93.9%.

The dispute centres on proposals from operators Aker and Petrofac to change the shift rotation, from 2:3 to a 3:3/3:4 rotation, and to reduce existing terms and conditions at the behest of parent company Total. Unite wants to retain the 2:3 rota or be compensated for moving to the new rota. Workers have also been frozen out of the existing competency scheme, which means that different rates will be paid for the same job.

Unite's regional industrial officer John Boland said: "Aker and Petrofac, at Total's bidding, are trying to force our members' rotas being changed from 2:3 to the hated 3:3 or 3:4. Shamefully, workers are also being frozen out of the existing competency scheme that rewarded members for being more skilled and was a route to progression."
He said that Aker and Petrofac have tried to split the members by selectively offering uplifts, but that this tactic had failed. "The resounding votes across all three platforms demonstrates clearly that our members not only want to stay on their existing rota, but if they have to change they want fair compensation, and to retain the existing competency scheme," he said.

Petrofac told NGW  that if a strike were called, the operator would have two weeks' warning. Aker Solutions told NGW : "We continue to work closely with our workforce, our customer and the unions in order to bring this to resolution as quickly as possible.”