Unite the union says 1,300 workers will go on strike on platforms in the North Sea today in the biggest offshore stoppage in a generation.
The union claims the 48-hour action will cause “severe” problems for operators including BP, CNR International, EnQuest, Harbour Energy, Shell and Taqa.
Unite said it “could halt production on dozens of platforms and bring them to a standstill,” though this has been played down by the operating community.
Some operators, including Shell, have indicated they do not expect any impact on production, in contrast to Unite’s claims.
A Shell spokesperson said: “We support constructive dialogue between the unions and contracting companies to reach a mutually agreed resolution.”
The action will include electrical, production and mechanical technicians, alongside deck crew, scaffolders, crane operators, pipefitters, platers and riggers at Bilfinger UK, Petrofac, Stork and Sparrows.
Pay rise
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Oil and gas companies are enjoying record windfall profits, and they can easily afford to give our members a decent pay rise.”
Energy Voice says strikes have dogged the North Sea for well over a year now, spurred on by inflationary pressures and the UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
- Thousands of Scottish council workers have voted to reject a pay offer which a union described as "clearly not good enough".
The GMB claimed the offer from local authority body Cosla amounted to a 5.5% pay increase.
According to Cosla, those on the lowest wages would see an increase of up to 9.1%, and those earning more than £38,585 would get just over 6%.
About 20,000 GMB members - including bin collectors, school cleaners and home carers - voted against the deal.
Keir Greenaway, the Scotland organiser for the union, told the BBC it was "absolutely no surprise" the offer was rejected by 94% of respondents.
He said council staff were not willing to accept an offer of around 5.5% when the rate of inflation is almost double that.
Short-change
Mr Greenaway added: "This offer would short-change Scots council workers by hundreds of pounds compared to colleagues in England and Wales.
"Given the strength of feeling and determination to secure a pay offer that reflects the rising cost of living, it is now imperative that Cosla and Scottish Government work together with urgency and commitment to fund a fair and acceptable offer.
"If for whatever reason that does not happen, and happen quickly, we will waste no time in escalating this dispute to ensure serious negotiations can begin."