Dozens of North Sea Petrofac workers to strike in dispute over pay

Scores of North Sea workers employed by Petrofac (LON: PFC) are to down tools later this month as part of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

Trade union Unite confirmed on Monday that it had received an “emphatic” mandate from around 80 contractors stationed on Ithaca Energy (LON: ITH) assets.

Should the industrial action go ahead, operations on FPF-1, Captain, Alba and Alba North could all be impacted.

The workers readying to walk out include electrical, production and mechanical technicians, as well as deck crew, scaffolders and crane operators.

© Supplied by Hes Corp.

On the FPF-1 floating facility specifically, three 24-hour strikes involving 50 Unite members will take place on August 21, 23 and 28.

A continuous overtime ban will also come into effect on August 21 as workers try to secure an improved pay offer.

Unite says it will announce walk out dates involving the 30 or so members on the Captain and Alba installations later this week.

That dispute centres on Ithaca’s “fourteen days ‘clawback’ policy”, which the union has branded “draconian”.

According to Unite, the policy is significantly above the industry norm of seven days, and it is the financial equivalent to £6,000 lost income per person.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s Petrofac membership remain strong and resolute in their determination to secure a better deal from the company. Our members working on Ithaca Energy installations are involved in a long-running dispute with the contractor over fair pay and also the fourteen days clawback policy in operation which is draconian. We will continue to fully support our members in the fight to secure better jobs, pay and conditions in the offshore sector.”

After months of turbulence, during which numerous strike ballots were carried out, unrest in the North Sea has begun to ease.

© Chevron

But with inflation still a big issue in the UK, the sector isn’t out of the woods yet, and Unite says its members are “prepared to fight” to boost their pay.

John Boland, an industrial officer with the union, added: “Unite received an emphatic mandate in support of industrial action from our Petrofac membership. Our members are prepared to fight on for a fair pay offer and better work-life balance because Petrofac and Ithaca Energy refuse to do the right thing. The company and the operator have another opportunity to get round the table with Unite to resolve these disputes before any industrial action starts. We would encourage them to do so but the ball is in their court.”

A Petrofac spokeswoman said: “We remain committed to reaching an agreement through continued, constructive dialogue with the union.”

Ithaca has been approached for comment.