Oil and gas workers are planning large-scale North Sea strikes amid bumper profits for fossil fuel firms, which have fueled calls for better pay for employees. About 1,400 workers across five rig-servicing companies plan to strike between late March and early June as part of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, potentially shutting down platforms in the region.
The action, coordinated by the Unite union, will involve offshore workers from the contractors Bilfinger UK, Stork, Petrofac, Wood and Sparrows Group.
The contractors work for oil and gas operators including BP, EnQuest, Harbour Energy, Shell and Total, all of which reported bumper profits in 2022.
The Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Oil and gas companies have been given free rein to enjoy massive windfall profits in the North Sea; drilling concessions are effectively licences to print money.”
She accused the companies of “raking it but refusing to give [workers] a fair share of the pie”, leading to “a tsunami of industrial unrest in the offshore sector”. “Unite will support these members every step of the way in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions,” she said.
Greenpeace UK’s head of climate, Mel Evans, said: “The greed is almost palpable. Oil and gas workers have been hung out to dry, while their bosses and shareholders have raked in tens of billions of pounds over the past year.
“It’s no wonder they’re taking industrial action to demand a proper windfall tax on these obscene profits, and we stand in solidarity with them.”
The prospective action includes electrical, production and mechanical technicians as well as deck crew, pipefitters and crane operators.
Workers for Bilfinger, Stork, Petrofac, Wood and Sparrows Group have already voted in favour of strike action. Two further ballots – for 80 Petrofac crew working on BP rigs, and 50 Worley Services staff working for Harbour Energy – could take the number of offshore strikers to more than 1,500 this week.