170 Petrofac Employees on Repsol’s North Sea Platforms Begin Strike over Wages

Some 170 members of UK’s largest union Unite working for Petrofac on Repsol’s UK North Sea offshore platforms, are taking 48-hour strike motion from Thursday, December 22, the union has knowledgeable. Individually, 76 unite members who’re Petrofac employees employed at BP’s North Sea platforms will begin strike motion subsequent week over 3:3 rotations.

“The motion [by Petrofac workers on Repsol’s plaforms] follows employees rejecting the newest pay provide from the corporate by 79 % on an 89 % turnout in an more and more bitter dispute over pay and dealing phrases, which has seen earlier rounds of business motion,” Unite mentioned .

The installations impacted embody the Arbroath, Auk, Bleo Holm, Claymore, Clyde, Fulmar Alpha, Piper Bravo, Saltire, Tartan Alpha, and Flotta oil terminal.

Unite additionally confirmed {that a} additional 48-hour strike will affect the Montrose platform beginning on December 29-31.

“The dispute facilities on the elimination of a ten per cent Equal Time fee, years of under inflationary pay will increase in addition to points round funds for Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) medicals, mileage and stand in duties,” Unite mentioned.

Unite normal secretary Sharon Graham mentioned: “Petrofac Repsol employees throughout the varied installations are taking this newest motion resulting from a collection of unacceptable pay provides. Unite’s members are watching offshore oil and gasoline giants mount up eye-watering earnings. As a substitute of paying the workforce what they deserve as a result of they’re those in the end producing these earnings Petrofac Repsol are revelling in enjoying Scrooge. Unite helps, and can proceed to help our members at Petrofac for so long as it takes for them to realize a profitable decision.”

BP offshore installations to be hit by strike, too

In a separate dispute, Unite members at Petrofac’s BP installations: Andrew, Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP, and Glen Lyon floating manufacturing, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility may even start 48-hour strike motion on the identical dates – 29^th to 31^st December. 

The Petrofac BP dispute centres on the working rotation, which is at the moment a piece 3 on/3 off rotation.  This motion includes 76 members.

Requested not too long ago by Offshore Engineer on what the employees’ calls for had been on the subject of the rotations, Unite Industrial Workplace John Boland mentioned:”3:3 rotation is working 3 weeks offshore (21 days x 12 hours) adopted by 3 week relaxation. It’s universally hated by offshore employees and has been confirmed in research to extend fatigue and the danger of accidents. The Petrofac BP employees are demanding that they get 4 weeks paid vacation from offshore time, in the event that they should work this rotation.”

Unite anticipates that the strike motion at each Petrofac Repsol and Petrofac BP are prone to trigger appreciable disruption and has warned that additional motion is being actively thought-about which might lengthen the dispute into 2023.

Unite industrial officer John Boland, on behalf of the Petrofac workforce throughout the varied installations added: “Unite’s members have been left with no selection however to take additional strike motion as a result of indifference and intransigence proven by Petrofac administration. A number of rounds of 48-hour strike motion will now happen following our members rejecting a contemporary pay provide which represents an actual phrases pay lower.  The Petrofac employees are completely decided to proceed with strike motion as a result of the corporate can simply afford to settle this dispute. We’d encourage them as soon as once more to take action and permit these employees to get again on with the job.”