UK North Sea: Over 700 Bilfinger Workers Balloted for Strike in Pay Dispute

About forty offshore installations in the UK North Sea could be affected by strike action by Bilfinger workers beginning in early April 2023, over a pay dispute.

Unite the union, a workers' rights union in the UK, said Friday that more than 700 offshore members at Bilfinger UK Limited are set to be balloted on strike action in a dispute over pay.

Unite is demanding an increase above the base rate of pay set in the Energy Services Agreement (ESA) for 2022, and for this to be back-dated to July 2022. 

"The ESA agreed last year to a 4 percent uplift, which was meant to be paid in January 2023 but this has not been paid to date. Bilfinger has refused to increase pay beyond the ESA base rate at a time when the broader cost of living stands at 13.4 percent (RPI).  Bilfinger has not implemented any pay award and allowance uplifts that were also agreed in November 2022," Unite said.

The ballot opens February 17 and closes on March 17, with any strike action and an overtime ban expected to take place from early April 2023 following a successful ballot result, according to the union.

Unite said that a number of oil and gas operators would be hit by any industrial action, including BP, CNRI, Ithaca, Harbour, Repsol, and Taqa.

"Unite predicts that any strike action on the offshore installations will impact on production and planned work. Nearly 40 installations will be hit by hundreds of tradespersons not completing planned work," Unite said.

These offshore platforms could be affected by strike

Offshore platforms that could be affected are: Alba North, Andrew, Arbroath, Auk, Bleoholm, Brae Alpha, Britannia, Captain floating production storage and offloading (FPSO), Captain WPP, Clair, Clair Ridge, Claymore, Clyde, Cormorant Alpha, East Brae, Eider, Etap, FPF1, Fulmar, Glen Lyon, Harding, Jade, Jasmine, Judy, Leman Alpha, Montrose, Ninian Central, Ninian South, North Cormorant, Piper Bravo, Seafox 4, Sean Papa, Solan, Sole Pit Clipper, Tartan Alpha, Tern Alpha, Tiffany, and Unity.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “The UK’s oil and gas operators and contractors are being served with record numbers of industrial action ballots. There is one simple reason why this is happening - corporate greed. Companies like Bilfinger have refused to pay attention to the concerns of our members by offering a decent and fair pay rise. Unite will continue to fully support all our members fighting back for good jobs, pay and conditions across the offshore sector.”

'Our Members are Angry, and They've Had Enough'

Shauna Wright, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite has served notice on Bilfinger because our members feel that their voices and concerns have not been heard. 

"We will now ballot more than 700 workers across nearly 40 offshore installations where Bilfinger UK Limited has a presence. This development comes after months of failed attempts by Unite to get Bilfinger to increase pay beyond the ESA base rate. Our members are angry, and they have had enough. It’s time Bilfinger paid their workforce what they deserve before a wave of industrial unrest hits the UK Continental Shelf.”

Last week, Unite also said that some 300 Stork construction members would be balloted on strike action on over 30 offshore installations in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), potentially affecting operators such as EnQuest, Repsol, Shell, and Total.

According to Unite, the latest offshore dispute is related on working rotas and Stork rates of pay "failing to keep pace with the broader cost of living"which stands at 13.4 per cent (RPI)." Read more here.