Strike vote to paralyse North Sea
Frank Urquhart
NORTH Sea oil production looks set to be paralysed after pilots employed by one of the industry’s two major helicopter operators voted overwhelmingly to take strike action in their battle for pay parity with airline pilots.
Strike action by the crews of CHC Helicopters could begin next month and there were fears last night that the dispute could result in platform shutdowns and millions of pounds in lost production.
CHC Scotia provides helicopters to service at least half the oil and gas installations in the North Sea, ferrying workers employed by four of the industry’s biggest operators, BP, TotalElfFina, ExxonMobil and Talisman.
Last night, as industry leaders appealed to both sides to get round the negotiating table, oil companies were desperately drawing up contingency plans to deal with a potential all-out strike by the Scotia crews.
The vote in favour of strike action was announced by John Moore, the principal negotiator of the British Airline Pilots’ Association, which represents more than three-quarters of the 200 helicopter pilots employed by Scotia in Aberdeen, Norwich, Humberside and Blackpool.
Moore said 78.4 per cent of the 138 pilots who had taken part in the ballot had voted in favour of strike action and said: "Under employment legislation, BALPA must give CHC Scotia seven days’ notice of strike action. CHC Scotia pilots taking part in strike action would continue to provide offshore emergency cover.
"The strong ballot result shows that our members are not willing to stand by and watch a generation of young, highly-skilled helicopter pilots haemorrhage away into the fixed-wing sector."
A spokesman for CHC Scotia claimed the ballot result meant that only some 52 per cent of the company’s total pilot workforce had authorised a withdrawal of services.
He continued: "CHC Scotia is very disappointed at the result of the ballot. It is inevitable that any forthcoming industrial action will have a disruptive impact on our operations and the service we provide to clients. We have contingency measures in hand to try to minimise the impact of any industrial action on the offshore workforce."
The company, he said, was willing to use independent mediation to achieve a resolution and still hoped the dispute could be settled "without irreparable damage being done to the company".
He claimed the offer which tabled by the company was "extremely generous" and would have seen the salary of a captain increase by £23,000 and a co-pilot’s salary by approximately £8,000. North Sea pilots with ten years’ experience currently earn around £51,000 per year. Two months ago, pilots employed by North Sea rivals, Bristow Helicopters, voted in favour of a similar pay deal.
John Wils , a director of the UK Offshore Operators’ Association, said: " Our immediate concern in the event of any industrial action would be for inconvenience to our workforce or disruption to our activities offshore.
"We hope that in the time that is available that both sides will continue to talk so that they can find a resolution to this problem."
Look at this from 2001. They didn't strike but got what they wanted in the end. Only 74% backing from the members too. So how come with a very high majority vote, 90%+, BALPA won't push for industrial action for the southern north sea this time? Are balpa becoming weak?