Nearly 400 members of Unite and RMT unions working for Wood Group across eight Shell oil and gas platforms in the North Sea will be striking for the first time in a generation in a dispute over 30% pay cuts and changes to allowances, the Unite and RMT unions announced on 18 July.
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Brent field operations. Image from Shell. |
The first 24-hour stoppage will take place on 26 July, and will be followed by a series of other stoppages over the following weeks.
The decision follows a massive 99.1% vote in favor of strike action by Unite members, and a 98.5% vote in favor of strike action by RMT members. It is anticipated that the action will severely disrupt operations on the Shell platforms based in the North Sea’s Brent and Central oil and gas fields.
“Our employees’ safety and welfare is our priority, and although we are extremely disappointed that they have chosen to take industrial action, we respect their right to do so,” Wood Group said in a statement. “We continue to engage proactively and openly with our employees and the unions with a focus on reaching a resolution. Safeguarding these jobs in the North Sea now and in the future has always been, and remains our priority.”
Supermajor Shell also shared its disappointment in the strike decision.
“We are disappointed by this development and hope that Wood Group’s employees and management will continue in their discussions in an effort to resolve their issues. Our priority is to ensure that safety will not be compromised during any industrial action,” Paul Goodfellow, Shell UK and Ireland upstream vice president said.
In addition to a 30% pay cut, recent changes have also seen workers move from a two-week working cycle to a three-week working cycle, which means working extra weeks offshore for the same salary, the union said.
“Strike action by our members is not a decision they take lightly, but they have been pushed to the limit by an employer unwilling to rethink proposals to slash their pay and allowances,”John Boland, Unite regional officer said. “This is the third series of redundancies, and cuts to our members wages and terms and conditions in the last two years. Our members have already made sacrifices and are experiencing the effects of the imposition of a three week working cycle which means more time offshore and less time with their families, for the same salary.
“They work in some of the most hazardous conditions in one of the toughest jobs in the world and deserve better than Wood Group’s bogus claims that their proposed pay cuts won’t amount to much.
“Wood Group needs to wake up to the determination of our members by negotiating seriously with Unite and the other offshore unions to reach a deal which is fair for their highly skilled and hardworking work force,” Boland concluded.
Last week, Unite and RMT confirmed that a ballot of Wood Group employees working across Shell operated assets, and coordinated between the unions has returned with a massive majority supporting industrial action.
The ballot results from both unions are well over the 50% turnout threshold and have huge majorities in support of industrial action in the form of strike and action short of strike. In the case of Unite 99.1% voted in favor of industrial action while 98.5% of RMT members voted to support industrial action.
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