BP Petrofac workers latest to support offshore strike

Emphatic vote for action will see 1,500 workers down tools as strike ‘tsunami’ hits North  Sea

Unite the union confirmed that its members on BP Petrofac installations have today (22 March) voted emphatically to support strike action in a fresh dispute involving the offshore contractor as workers demand a better deal on pay.

By a massive 95.5 per cent, around 90 workers voted in support of strike action in a ballot turnout of 73.4 per cent.  

The vote will see the BP Petrofac workers join 1400 others in dispute with their employers meaning 1500 offshore workers across the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) could be on strike within weeks.

Unite has warned that oil and gas operators and contractors are set to face a ‘tsunami’ of industrial unrest within weeks as workers demand a better deal on jobs, pay and conditions. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is an emphatic vote for strike action.  It signals that Unite’s members at BP Petrofac installations are absolutely determined to secure a fair deal from a sector that can more than easily afford to put pay up.

“Unite has warned of a tsunami of industrial unrest in the offshore sector due to the corporate greed of oil and gas operators and we will back our members all the way in their fight for good jobs, pay and conditions in the offshore sector.”

The BP Petrofac installations set to be hit by a fresh wave of strike action include Andrew, Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP, and the Glen Lyon floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility.

Unite industrial officer John Boland, on behalf of the Petrofac workforce across the various BP installations added: “The overwhelming mandate in support of industrial action is a direct response to the corporate arrogance being displayed by BP Petrofac management. The company refuse to work with Unite to resolve a number of key concerns including pay.

“Strike action impacting the BP Petrofac installations is now set to happen within weeks as the workers join 1,400 other offshore workers in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”   

The prospective strike action by 1500 workers includes electrical, production and mechanical technicians in addition to deck crew, scaffolders crane operators, pipefitters, platers, and riggers working for Bilfinger UK Limited, Stork construction, Petrofac Facilities Management, the Wood Group UK Limited and Sparrows Offshore Services.

Unite recently blasted the UK Government's inaction on taxing oil firms as BP posted the biggest profits in its history as it doubled to £23 billion in 2022. BP’s bonanza profits come after Shell reports earnings of £32 billion, bringing the combined total profits of the top two energy companies in Britain to a record £55 billion.

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