Unite has confirmed that its offshore catering members have accepted an improved pay offer worth 10% on basic salaries, ending a long-running dispute.
The consultative ballot indicated that 84% of Unite’s membership accepted the offer made by the Catering Offshore Trade Association (COTA), which represents seven companies supplying services to offshore oil and gas rigs in the North Sea.
Alongside a 10% pay bump, the deal includes a backdated payment of around £1,000 for lower pay grades, to be made in December.
Unite said the deal will cover over 3,000 workers including chefs, bakers, stewards and administrative team members employed by service companies like Aramark, Conntrak, Entier, ESS, FOSS & ESG, and Sodexo.
It follows workers overwhelming rejection of a 7% offer – described by COTA as “unprecedented” – in September, which 73% of Unite members and 85% of RMT members voted to dismiss.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a significant deal for our offshore caterers which covers over 3,000 workers. The deal on basic salaries negotiated by Unite demonstrates the value of being a trade union member as we are fully committed to improving the jobs, terms and conditions for workers in the offshore sector.”
In a statement a COTA representative said: “The Caterers Offshore Trade Association (COTA) are pleased to confirm that following consultative ballot, members of Unite and RMT have voted to accept our pay offer.
“The pay offer was an increase of 10% on base pay. This was accepted with a backdated implementation date of 1 September 2022; all COTA companies will now work to implement this as soon as possible.”
Shauna Wright, Unite industrial officer said the deal should act as “a lesson” to companies working across the North Sea.
“By getting round the table we can together ensure that the workforce gets a wage increase they fully deserve, and pay disputes do not needlessly spiral into strike action when companies can afford to pay,” she added.
Recommended for you
