North Sea industrial action postponed
Unite ballots offshore caterers on a new offer from COTA.
Unite the Union has postponed industrial action by offshore caterers, after a new offer from employers.
The Catering Offshore Trade Association (COTA) has put forward a deal that includes increments to cover, delay and training allowances in addition to a ‘no cuts’ clause for the duration of the current agreement.
It'll now be put union members - a consultative ballot will run all week.
The scrapping of this year's promised pay rise prompted an industrial ballot which saw Unite members vote to take the first strikes affecting UK offshore industry in over a generation.
A ballot of RMT members backed industrial action, but fell short of supporting walkouts.
Unite Regional Officer John Boland said: “Following discussions at the request of the COTA employers, our joint trade union negotiating committee will put this offer to a consultative ballot of our COTA membership with a recommendation to accept.
“We said previously our members are not blind to the challenges facing their industry but that revoking a long-standing agreement through imposition was a dangerous precedent for offshore employment relations.
“After last week’s ballot result supporting industrial action, I am pleased the COTA employers recognised our members’ concerns and decided to pursue a resolution to this dispute through sensible negotiations.”