Union organisation is strengthening in the North Sea. And not before time, as companies keen to squeeze the last drop of profit turn to cheap and unprotected foreign migrants working on slave labour conditions...

North Sea oilfields: workers flex their muscles in the industrial battleground

WORKERS, FEB 2008 ISSUE

Workers in the offshore oil and gas industry are getting better organised and flexing their muscles on pay, conditions and safety. On 13 February the result will be announced of the 2 January ballot on the merging of the RMT and the Aberdeen-based Offshore Industry Liaison Committee (OILC). Following their October conference which voted overwhelmingly to ballot on the proposal – with the vision of the OILC as the "offshore energy branch of the RMT" – OILC's Jake Molloy summed up the situation:

"Exciting times lie ahead for OILC and RMT whether merged or working together. We are 'upping' our game on all fronts to improve the lot of the offshore worker. You've read about our fight for paid holiday; we have launched a campaign of 'name and shame' to counter the dreaded NRB (Not Required Back); we will resist the threat to jobs and conditions through the exploitation of foreign workers, and believe us, this is a looming threat (we don't have a problem with foreign workers coming here, but they must not be exploited to undermine your conditions); we will provide the best range of benefits available anywhere in the trade union movement."

North Sea oil rig, 2007 Photo: Workers

Joint activity
Recent joint activity has proven the efficacy of this move, such as the settlement with the Offshore Contractors Association covering all their workers including ad hoc staff. Those workers have now made a joint call to Amicus (Unite) to "see the light and realise that it makes sense to work together for the benefit of all offshore workers". Amicus represents those in the crews employed by the other major employers' grouping, the UK Drilling Contractors Association, who have rejected the type of holiday deal achieved by OILC/RMT and wanted by their workforce. Amicus members have rejected a recent UKDCA pay offer.

In the areas of work associated with the Caterers Offshore Trade Association both holidays and pay are up for argument – this time with the RMT and T&G representing workers. Here it is the big companies, like Shell, that refuse extended leave cycles, proven to be essential for workers in this difficult arena.

Undercutting
OILC has for years been highly critical of "partnership agreements" between companies in this industry and trade unions that fail in their duties. Their investigation into migrant workers on sub-standard wages and conditions found that "to listen to their experiences is like reading from the darkest chapters of a Dickens novel". This undermining and exploitation of British workers has continued apace since the 2005 study pointed out:

"From the southern gas fields to the West of Shetland, the biggest import of late into the UK oil and gas industry has been cheap and unprotected foreign labour. Maltese, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Polish and Filipino workers are increasingly a common sight on rigs owned by companies, which all too often are heard preaching from the moral high ground. Farcically, those very rigs where this is taking place are those which we supposed to be protected by "partnership agree-ments" with TUC-affiliated trade unions."

An example from the Maltese workers was £4.46 per hour for three weeks offshore with nothing for time off. British offshore workers have described all this as "slave labour, right here, right now".

These workers are also highly critical of the systematic failures that have set the scene for the accidents and deaths that have plagued the industry. Shell, for example, admitted to health and safety legislation breaches between July and September 2003, yet proposals to cut maintenance were approved. Weeks later two workers were killed by a gas escape when valves failed.

Piper Alpha disaster
In the aftermath of the industry's greatest disaster (20 years ago 167 died as Occidental's Piper Alpha production platform suffered fire and explosion), many lessons were learned. But with companies tempted by short cuts and short memories, vigilance will always be essential.

Following a 3-year investigation of nearly 100 offshore installations, a report by the Health and Safety Executive was issued just over two months ago. In what has been described as a "damning report", more than half of the platforms were categorised as "poor" with corrosion of carbon steel firefighting "deluge" pipe-work a critical factor.

Just a week after the report came out, only prompt action by rescue services and correct and speedy evacuation procedures ensured all 169 workers on the Thistle Alpha platform escaped a serious fire.

For many years, which saw other disasters such as the Sea Gem collapse in 1965 and the Sea Quest accident in 1971, 50 fatalities per year was a norm for what was a relatively small workforce. All the more reason for workers therein to reinforce their strengths. Very necessary when companies start to threaten thousands of jobs, as Shell did last month in a massive outsourcing plan. This time it is around 3,600 IT staff who are at risk. Graham Tran of Unite accused the company of "no longer being committed to Britain".

Effective union organisation is literally the key to survival in this industry – of the workers themselves and of their jobs.

• For further information: www.rmt.org.uk and www.oilc.org.

Next month: The future for British oil and gas.

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