Britain’s Unite union has confirmed that nearly 100 Odfjell offshore drillers working on two BP rigs have backed strike action to secure paid leave.
According to Unite, workers want to secure paid leave outside the current three-on/three-off rotation. In a vote, 96 percent supported the strike. The turnout was 73 percent. The strike action will involve a series of 24-hour stoppages, but Unite has warned that the industrial action could escalate to a full strike.
The strike action will take place on BP’s flagship platforms in the North Sea – Clair and Clair Ridge. Now their drilling schedules are expected to be heavily impacted by the action. The industrial action mandate follows Odfjell’s refusal to provide paid annual leave during periods when the drillers would be offshore, leaving the drillers at a disadvantage as other offshore workers are entitled to paid leave as apart from their work rotation.
Unite members also voted 97 per cent to back the action ahead of a strike. This will include a total overtime ban limiting the workday to 12 hours, no additional coverage during scheduled breaks, and the withdrawal of pre- and post-visit goodwill briefings to prevent handovers between shifts .
“Unite’s Odfjell drillers are ready to take their employers head on. The oil and gas industry is awash in record profits with BP posting profits of $27.8bn for 2022, more than double 2021 .Corporate greed is at an all-time high in the offshore sector but the workforce is seeing none of it in their pay packets.. Unite will support our members every step of the way in the fight for better jobs , pay and conditions,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
Unite this week criticized the UK government’s inaction in taxing oil companies as BP posted its biggest ever profit, doubling to $27.8 billion in 2022. BP’s profit bonanza comes after Shell reported earnings of $38.7 billion, bringing combined total profits over the top. two energy companies in Britain to a record $66.5 billion.
“Unite has an emphatic mandate for industrial action by our members. For years, contractors like Odfjell and operators like BP have said offshore safety is their number one priority. Even so, they are still treating this group of workers with total contempt.”
“These jobs are some of the most manually demanding roles in the offshore sector, but Odfjell and BP do not seem to understand or are unwilling to listen to the health and safety concerns of our members. Only last week, without any consultation, never mind the “in agreement with their staff, Odfjell and BP made unilateral changes to the driller’s crew. This will mean that some overseas employees will work 25-29 days abroad in a row. It is only believed and our members are determined to fight for a better working environment,” added Vic Fraser, Unite’s industrial manager.
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