One oil worker has been sacked and four more disciplined as bosses crack down on antisocial behaviour in Shetland.
Construction giant Petrofac took action after hundreds of drunken off-duty workers spilled onto the streets of Lerwick, where crews building Total’s £800 million gas plant have repeatedly clashed with locals.
One woman was thrown over a man’s shoulder as she walked home from work in the latest in a series of unruly incidents.
Petrofac is now sending security patrols round pubs in the town after community leaders said local youngsters were too frightened to go out socialising at the weekends.
One man has also been disciplined for anti-social behaviour on the NorthLink ferry that connects Shetland with Orkney and Aberdeen.
Petrofac bosses revealed their tough stance yesterday as Total announced it was bringing 1,100 more workers to the islands, bringing the total to more than 2,500 as it races to complete its behind schedule gas plant.
A company spokesman said one employee had been dismissed and four were being investigated for their behaviour in Lerwick last week or on the ferry.
He refused to go into detail about individual cases or provide figures for the total number of workers who have lost their jobs as a result of rowdiness since Petrofac arrived in Shetland three years ago.
But he insisted the company was taking stringent measures to control the behaviour of its 2,000 employees staying in temporary accommodation on the isles.
The spokesman said bosses were “very disappointed” by recent developments and would be holding meetings about the situation with local police and NorthLink staff.
He added that company guidelines on behaviour had been reiterated to all employees.
Councillor Allison Duncan of the Shetland South ward, said he welcomed steps to improve behaviour, but added that local communities would still be concerned after last week’s “fiasco”.
“I am being told that some of the local youths who normally go out in Lerwick to socialise at the weekend are now avoiding it because of the trouble. It is sad,” he said.
“I have had a conversation with Chief Inspector Eddie Graham about the circumstances. He is going to have a meeting with the head man at Petrofac about increasing the security there.
“It is a cause for concern if we are going to have even more workers arriving.”
Allan Hepponstall, assistant manager of the Thule Bar, Lerwick, said: “The reason there was so much trouble last week was because they all were given the day off at the same time and they all went on the drink.
“These boys don’t know how to go out and just have a couple of pints and go home.
“They have people staying on the accommodation boat and they have no TVs or anything to do. If there was more to do on the barge for them they might not get into so much trouble.
“Obviously we enjoy the trade, but we could do without the trouble.
“It is a shame that the ones that are bad are spoiling it for the ones that aren’t.”
Petrofac security staff, known locally as “bald men drinking fruit juice”, now mount regular patrols when large numbers of workers are out on the town.
All of the Lerwick pubs have been given the team’s contact details in case trouble breaks out.
The latest disciplinary action is not understood to be related to the Lerwick to Aberdeen ferry sailing on June 18, when passengers complained they were subjected to abuse from a group of drunk men.
NorthLink refused to comment on its investigation into what happened on the crossing, saying it was an internal and police matter.