Strikes by North Sea oil workers could ‘severely disrupt’ UK fuel supplies
Union says staff left with no choice but industrial action after breakdown in pay talks with Texas oil firm Apache A looming strike by oil workers in the North Sea could “severely disrupt” UK fuel supplies, the Unite union has said, adding that staff were left with no choice after a breakdown in pay talks with the Texas oil company Apache. The union said Apache workers had “emphatically” backed…
Unite union warns that strikes by North Sea oil workers could "severely disrupt" UK fuel supplies. The union claims that staff were left with no choice after Apache, a Texas oil firm, refused to agree to a fair pay offer, potentially resulting in real-terms pay cuts for many employees. Apache workers had emphatically backed strike action due to the offer, which the union said was "unacceptable".
Apache's pay offer included a 4% pay increase, but Apache also set deadlines for reaching an agreement and threatened to withhold payments, leaving workers potentially thousands of pounds out of pocket. The potential strikes could start later this month and involve more than 160 Apache offshore workers, including electrical experts, production technicians, and radio operators.
The strikes could affect the Forties and Beryl oilfields, potentially causing one of the critical North Sea platforms, known as Charlie, to be "brought to a standstill". This could ultimately disrupt the entire Forties pipeline system, which handles nearly a third of the UK's oil and gas. Unite blames Apache's failure to reach a pay deal for the potential disruption, saying the company's actions could have "far-reaching consequences for workers, operators and consumers".
The union's general secretary, Sharon Graham, stated that the union will not tolerate unacceptable pay offers. Apache, the parent company behind Apache North Sea Production, reported $1.4bn in after-tax profits and $9.2bn in revenues for last year. Apache maintains that its final offer is fair and recognizes the contribution of its offshore workforce, adding that the proposed pay increase is in line with that awarded to non-unionised employees earlier in the year.
Apache also mentioned contingency plans to maintain safe operations during any industrial action, stating that any reduction in pipeline pressure would be similar to what occurred during routine maintenance outages.
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