North Sea strikes threaten UK fuel supplies, union warns
More than 160 offshore workers on five Apache-operated platforms in the North Sea are due to begin a 24-hour strike at 6am on Wednesday, 21 October, in a dispute over pay.
The union Unite said on Monday, 19 October, that the stoppage would go ahead and warned it could severely disrupt UK fuel supplies. The five platforms are tied to the Forties Pipeline System, which handles about 30% of UK oil production, according to the union's account reported by The Guardian.
Apache, a US energy company, disputed the scale of any disruption. The company said it plans to use experienced contractors to maintain production during the strike and said that even if all five platforms were unable to operate, it would not expect an impact on other companies using the Forties pipeline. It said its offer amounts to a 4% pay increase for employees in the bargaining unit whose offshore rota averages 153 working days a year.
A separate 48-hour strike starting on Tuesday, 20 October, is planned by Wood Group workers contracted to Harbour Energy's Britannia, Jasmine, Judy, Lomond and North Everest platforms. Wood Group said only eight of the 150 employees on those platforms took part in earlier strike action this month and that the action did not disrupt operations.
Union leaders and Apache are scheduled to continue pay talks through Acas mediation on Wednesday. Further stoppages are planned, with a 48-hour strike set for 3 November and a 24-hour strike by Apache offshore workers scheduled for 4 November, according to Argus and other reports. Apache plans to end all its North Sea operations by the end of 2029.
