North Sea Faces Helicopter Pilots' Strike
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North Sea Faces Helicopter Pilots' Strike
From today's Business AM:
N Sea faces threat of helicopter strike
by Jim Gough
Published: 00:05 GMT, Sep 27, 2001
A STRIKE which could disrupt North Sea oil and gas operations came closer yesterday as
helicopter pilots rejected CHC Scotia's latest pay offer.
The 200 pilots, who want to close the pay gap with the pilots of passenger jets will be balloted for industrial action.
Talks between the Aberdeen company and the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) have been going on since May and collapsed after Balpa said that members' patience had run out.
Last week the prospect of an all-out strike which could have brought the industry to a standstill was averted when pilots and crew at the Bristow helicopter company accepted a pay deal giving them between 7% and 19%.
If the action goes ahead, staff of companies using CHC Scotia would be stranded on rigs or unable to fly out to them.
CHC Scotia said it "had made proposals the company hoped would go a long way to meeting the aspirations of its pilot workforce."
The union said that talks had foundered as CHC Scotia said it would only close the gap with airline pilots 30% for captains and 20% for first officers over three and a half years.
The ballot on industrial action involves Scotia's pilots based in Aberdeen, Norwich, Humberside and Blackpool and will begin next week.
The pilots want parity with A320 and Boeing 737 passenger jet pilots and say they work in a hazardous environment with ageing equipment.
[email protected]
by Jim Gough
Published: 00:05 GMT, Sep 27, 2001
A STRIKE which could disrupt North Sea oil and gas operations came closer yesterday as
helicopter pilots rejected CHC Scotia's latest pay offer.
The 200 pilots, who want to close the pay gap with the pilots of passenger jets will be balloted for industrial action.
Talks between the Aberdeen company and the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) have been going on since May and collapsed after Balpa said that members' patience had run out.
Last week the prospect of an all-out strike which could have brought the industry to a standstill was averted when pilots and crew at the Bristow helicopter company accepted a pay deal giving them between 7% and 19%.
If the action goes ahead, staff of companies using CHC Scotia would be stranded on rigs or unable to fly out to them.
CHC Scotia said it "had made proposals the company hoped would go a long way to meeting the aspirations of its pilot workforce."
The union said that talks had foundered as CHC Scotia said it would only close the gap with airline pilots 30% for captains and 20% for first officers over three and a half years.
The ballot on industrial action involves Scotia's pilots based in Aberdeen, Norwich, Humberside and Blackpool and will begin next week.
The pilots want parity with A320 and Boeing 737 passenger jet pilots and say they work in a hazardous environment with ageing equipment.
[email protected]
