Offshore workers stage 48-hour strike

According to RMT, its members face pay cuts in the region of 30%, while members of the Wood Group’s board have benefited from a “financial bonanza”.

This included a 28% pay rise for the company’s chief executive, RMT bosses said.

After savage redundancies and attacks on workload and working conditions this group of offshore workers have been told that they are going to be railroaded into accepting pay cuts of up to 30%

RMT general secretary Mick Cash

Strike action is currently taking place at Shell’s headquarters in London and Manchester.

Commenting on today’s strikes, RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “The action on the Wood Group/Shell assets is solid as a rock again this morning.

“After savage redundancies and attacks on workload and working conditions this group of offshore workers have been told that they are going to be railroaded into accepting pay cuts of up to 30%. They have chosen not to bend the knee, they have chosen to stand up and fight.”

Today’s strike marks the third such action in less than a fortnight.

Unite and RMT union members staged a 24-hour walkout, which was the first of its kind for almost 30 years, last Tuesday.

Members also staged a second day of strikes on Thursday 28 July.

“The company needs to recognise the anger, respect their workforce, and withdraw this vicious assault on our members’ standards of living,” Cash said.

In response, Wood Group chief executive officer Dave Stewart said the company is “hugely disappointed” that industrial action is progressing despite the “constructive” talks with unions over the past few days.

“We had agreed to suspend the implementation of the terms and conditions currently proposed to enable further detailed discussions with our employees and the unions,” Stewart said.

“We believed the unions had also agreed to this during our meeting on Monday, which was attended by union representatives, shop stewards and Wood Group management. We were extremely disappointed by the last minute change to what we feel was a very constructive way forward and are actively seeking clarity on why this decision was taken.”

Stewart has also urged the unions to “show willingness to reengage” with Wood Group to find a resolution that safeguards employment opportunites.

Cash said the Union remains available for “serious and meaningful talks”.