North Sea collective bargaining

The establishment of a ground breaking new collective agreement for thousands of engineering and maintenance workers in the North Sea has gained the support of industry. A total of 13 major contractors from the offshore energy sector supply chain have confirmed they will sign up to the deal with the three unions involved, Unite, GMB and RMT. Additionally, and for the first time in the sector, the agreement is being supported by the majority of operators across the sector.

In a joint statement the Trade Unions said;

“The news that 13 major employers have signed up to work with the unions and establish a framework for collective bargaining in the offshore energy sector is extremely welcome. We will now consult with our members around the details and recommend that they support the agreement. The collaborative working of the trade unions and industry is an illustration of what is required to deliver a just and green recovery for workers and the UK energy supply chain. What we want to see now is Government support for this exemplar in collaboration.

“The new “Energy Services Agreement” is ground breaking; a first of it’s kind for the UK offshore energy sector. We hope the deal will go some way towards avoiding the boom and bust cycles which have caused extreme difficulties for workers and employers alike over the last decade. The agreement will also have the flexibility to bring in more companies going forward. Stability, sustainability and security of employment for the sector are critical and this deal will help deliver that.”

ENDS.