Trade union bosses yesterday accused Aberdeen energy service giant Wood Group of pushing North Sea workers to the verge of industrial action.
Unite Scotland said offshore workers employed by Wood Group on Shell’s North Sea platforms were engaged in a consultation over a new offer on pay and benefits on the weekend.
Tommy Campbell, a regional officer at Unite, said: “We are waiting to hear the result of consultations between the members of the workforce to see if the terms are acceptable. The results will be made known during the week and we will feed them back to Wood Group.
This week union bosses said North Sea workers were “disenfranchised and getting angrier by the day”. At pay cuts and redundancies continue to dominate headlines, Energy Voice looks back at how the dialogue between employers and the unions has played out in the past year.
The head of a major construction firm will try his hand in the energy sector after agreeing to join the board of Wood Group.
Richard Howson, who has been chief executive of Carillion since 2012, will take on the role of non-executive director at Wood Group starting May 12.
Mr Howson will also take up a place on the Wood Group board’s committees for nomination and safety, assurance and business ethics, the Aberdeen-headquartered oil service firm said yesterday.
Wildlife lover and businessman Ian Marchant will swing his way Tarzan-like into the president’s chair at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland next month.
The zoological society, which owns Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore, said Mr Marchant was a longstanding member and strong supporter of conservation.
The new role is in addition to the posts Mr Marchant holds at several businesses and charities.
Wood Group, the Aberdeen-based oilfield services firm, has reported earnings of $470million in 2015, down from $550 in 2014, saying its performance demonstrated resilience and flexibility in challenging markets.
Wood Group has secured a contract with Woodside to provide the detailed design of the Greater Western Flank Phase 2 (GWF-2) flowline system offshore Western Australia.
Unite, the UK's biggest offshore trade union, warned the Wood Group's contractor rate cuts will deepen a “race to the bottom” on North Sea employment standards.
