Wildcat strike action is in “no-one’s interest” the offshore trade body has claimed after workers downed tools across a range of North Sea installations yesterday.
Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) hit back at a series of unofficial strikes taking place as workers for Bilfinger UK and Wood stopped their work.
The employees are seeking a £7 per hour increase in pay, citing recent profits of oil and gas giants and the cost of inflation.
READ: Cost of living crisis cited as North Sea workers down tools in wildcat strike
North-east Scotland MSPs including the Greens’ Maggie Chapman and Labour’s Mercedes Villalba backed the action, while the Unite union also voiced support.
Bilfinger and Wood both said they were seeking to resolve the grievances through proper channels.
Meanwhile TotalEnergies said it was working with its fabric maintenance contractor and is prioritising the safety of workers across all its sites.
BP installations including Etap and Clair, TotalEnergies’ Elgin, and Harbour Energy’s Judy were among several installations affected, along with some operated by Taqa and Repsol Sinopec.
Trade body OEUK highlighted the risks associated for the wider sector when wildcat strikes take place.
Not an offical trade dispute
Irene Bruce, OEUK’s energy services agreement (ESA) manager, said: “We are aware of the unofficial action taking place and would encourage those involved to follow the dispute procedures in place with their employers, even though this doesn’t appear to be an official trade dispute.
“Wildcat action such as this is of no-one’s interest at a critical time in the industry, which is looking to attract investment, safeguard our security of supply and protect local jobs, as we make collective efforts to reach net zero.”
BP did provide a comment to say it is monitoring the situation and that it is “confident there’s no increased risk” as a result of the wildcat strikes.
Solidarity with workers on North Sea platforms who are downing tools in defence of fair pay.
Oil and gas companies have announced record profits off the backs of underpaid workers and short-changed consumers. Enough.
My message to employers: pay your workers, pay your taxes. https://t.co/uNna0gyNpB
— Mercedes Villalba (@LabourMercedes) May 18, 2022
Last night the Unite union said it had only recently been made aware of the grievances but gave support to the action given the scale of recent inflation levels, coupled with oil and gas firms’ windfall profits on higher commodity prices.
The union also noted Bilfinger’s decision not to be part of the aforementioned energy services agreement, a collective bargaining deal for contractors.
A spokesperson said the circumstances “can only stoke resentment amongst workers” and said Bilfinger’s absence from the ESA “must change”.
