Workers employed by Bilfinger on North Sea assets operated by Ithaca Energy will commence a series of 24-hour strikes on May 8, May 15, May 22, and May 29.
Approximately 20 employees are involved in the dispute following a refusal by Ithaca Energy to extend a retention bonus worth up to £14,500 ($18,125) to Bilfinger staff on the Alba floating storage unit and its floating production facility, FPF1.
Members of the Unite union involved in the ballot voted unanimously for industrial action regarding the bonus scheme, which the union claims is already being paid to employees of other companies on the same assets.
General secretary Sharon Graham stated, “Unite has been met with total obstinacy from Bilfinger and Ithaca Energy. Both companies are very wealthy, and they can easily afford to pay this bonus.”
The workers participating in the stoppages include scaffolders, engineers, deck, and rope access workers. Industrial officer Paula Buchan explained that while Bilfinger is a profitable company, Ithaca Energy, "ultimately holds the purse strings as a multi-billion pound business."
Buchan noted that negotiations failed to resolve the dispute regarding the retention bonus, which the union considers unacceptable. The scheduled stoppages throughout May are expected by the union to have a significant impact on the daily operations of the affected North Sea assets.
