"Tsunami" of industrial action set to hit oil and gas operators in pay dispute

48-hour walkout planned for North Sea platforms

Author: Dave GallowayPublished 7th Apr 2023

More than 1,300 offshore workers are preparing to go on strike later this month.

They'll be downing tools in the North Sea for 48 hours between the 24th and 26th of April - and Unite says some platforms will come to a standstill

Oil and gas workers are demanding bigger pay rises as energy giants make record profits.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said:

"Oil and gas companies in the offshore sector are enjoying record windfall profits. There’s no question that contractors and operators can easily afford to give Unite members a decent pay rise. The scale of corporate greed in the offshore sector has to be challenged.

1,350 offshore workers will now take part in an unprecedented tsunami of industrial action over 48 hours with hundreds more set to join them.

Unite will support all our members every step of the way in this fight for better jobs, pay and conditions".

John Boland, Unite industrial officer, added:

"Unite has received an emphatic mandate in support of strike action. It is historic and it will be the biggest offshore stoppage in a generation.

Unite’s members are determined to get their fair share and to establish a better working environment. This is not exclusively about pay but also working rotas, holidays, and offshore safety.

The workforce has been taken for granted for years but now their value will be acutely felt when strike action will bring dozens of platforms to a standstill."

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