MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK offshore Oil Workers anticipate biggest strike in a generation

John Boland, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite has received an emphatic mandate in support of strike action”

Hundreds of oil and gas platforms will stage a 48-hour strike in a dispute over pay and other working conditions. Unite has warned that the standstill by the walkout has been planned for April 24. Industry experts agree that contractors and operators can afford to give the Unite members a decent pay rise.

The commonly known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union which was formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union.

On calling for industrial action, Unite said, “1,350 offshore workers will now take part in an unprecedented tsunami of industrial action over 48 hours with hundreds more set to join them. “Unite will support all our members every step of the way in this fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”

Workers taking industrial action include electrical, production and mechanical technicians in addition to deck crew, scaffolders crane operators, pipefitters, platters and riggers.

John Boland, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite has received an emphatic mandate in support of strike action. “It is historic and it will be the biggest offshore stoppage in a generation.

“Unite’s members are determined to get their fair share and to establish a better working environment.

”This is not exclusively about pay but also working rotas, holidays, and offshore safety.

“The workforce has been taken for granted for years but now their value will be acutely felt when strike action will bring dozens of platforms to a standstill.”