More than 160 Apache workers to strike for 24 hours on 21 October over North Sea pay dispute
Why It MattersA one-day walkout at Forties and Beryl assets tests how far a North Sea operator's contingency plans can shield shared pipeline infrastructure and other producers from labour action.
More than 160 Apache workers in the North Sea will strike this week in a pay dispute, Unite the Union said. The 24-hour action runs from 6 AM on Wednesday 21 October to 5:59 AM on Thursday and will affect seven assets associated with the Forties and Beryl fields: the Forties Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo platforms and the Beryl Alpha and Bravo installations.
Unite accused Apache of "reckless behaviour" and claimed the action would put "UK fuel supplies at risk". It has previously said the strike could bring the Charlie platform to a standstill, which it argued would cause a pressure drop in the Forties Pipeline System and a shutdown. Apache said that, based on "current contingency plans", it does "not anticipate that industrial action would affect other producers' ability to continue operating through the Forties Pipeline System".
Apache said its final offer includes a 4% pay increase for employees in the bargaining unit, whose offshore rota averages 153 working days a year, and that the rise is in line with the award given to non-unionised employees earlier this year. Unite said members rejected the offer, which it called "a real terms pay cut", and that members "emphatically backed strike action". The union also claimed Apache has set deadlines for reaching a deal and "indicated payments may be withheld". Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said Apache could "easily afford to resolve this dispute".
Unite is due to hold talks with the conciliation service Acas before the strike. Unite industrial officer Stevie Davies said the union wants the talks to succeed but is "not hopeful". Apache said its preference is to resolve the matter through constructive dialogue.
In April, Apache's North Sea business signed a recognition agreement with Unite enabling 250 offshore workers to organise. This year Apache also awarded Well-Safe Solutions contracts to decommission more than 260 wells across its Forties and Beryl assets, with subsea well decommissioning work due to start next year.
