Strike in UK Again By 1200 Offshore Workers

In a dispute over jobs, pay, and working conditions in the offshore sector, the UK union Unite said that 1200 offshore workers would start another 48-hour strike on Wednesday.

The union said that oil and gas companies like Apache, BP, Harbour Energy, Enquest, Ithaca, Repsol, Shell, and TAQA would be hurt by the strike. 

The action includes deck crew, scaffolders, crane operators, pipefitters, platers, and riggers who work for Bilfinger UK Limited, Petrofac Facilities Management, Stork Technical Services, Sparrows Offshore Services, and Wood Group. 

Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said, “Oil and gas companies continue to make a lot of money. Unite’s members are dead set on getting a much bigger share of the profits that these oil giants make. They have earned it. The latest round of 48-hour strikes is just the next step in our fight for better jobs, pay, and working conditions in the offshore sector. Unite is ready to fight for a long time because the union has to stand up to unchecked corporate greed.

Unite says that about 200 Bilfinger contractors who work on BP and Repsol assets will join the 48-hour strike, and about 650 Stork offshore workers will also join the stoppage because no better pay offers have been made. About 200 people who work for Sparrows offshore will also take part in the strike. 

Members of the BP units (Andrew, Etap, Clair, Clair Ridge, Glen Lyon, and Mungo) and the Enquest units (Heather, Magnus, and Thistle), who have already accepted different pay offers, are not included. 

Unite members who work for Petrofac on the Ithaca FPF1 and members who work for the Wood Group on the TAQA installations will both go on strike for 48 hours. Together, this action affects about 150 people. 

The latest strike comes after a 48-hour stoppage from April 24 to April 26 that, according to Unite, caused “severe” problems for big oil and gas companies.

“Because Unite members went on strike, there was a lot of trouble, and some places had to shut down. Unite knows that this happened at the CNR Ninian Central and Ninian South platforms. Other platforms were also affected because planned work had to be put off.