Industri Energi prepare for strike in SLB UK
The mediation between Industri Energi and the oil service company SLB UK (former Schlumberger UK) was concluded without reaching an agreement. «We are now peparing for strike from midnight 30th of March» says deputy leader in Industri Energi Ommund Stokka.
Stokka says there was great distance between the negotiating parties. «It wasn’t possible to reach an agreement. SLB UK does not want the oil service agreement (OSA) to apply in the company and that’s why there was a breach in the negotiations» he says.
The oil service company SLB UK has a contract for doing well stimulation on the Ekofisk field in the North Sea. The vessel «Island Captain» which is especially equipped to do well stimulation, is used for the operations.
He explains that the UK members of Industri Energi onboard the vessel are experiencing unacceptable conditions when it comes to salary and working conditions.
We are shocked by what we have been told. Some employees often work very long shifts. « It is totally unacceptable with 28-30 hour shifts on the Norwegian continental shelf. This is a potential safety hazard » he says.
«We know that the pumps operated by the crew onboard the Island Captain utilizes 20 000 hp. Normal pressure when performing well stimulation is 7500 PSI, and a garden hose has a PSI of 40. These are no toys being operated by our members» he continues.
The crew is also vastly underpaid. There is no compensation for overtime or night shift. «This is social dumping, and we can’t accept these conditions on the Norwegian shelf» Stokka says.
He emphasizes that Inustri Energi are now preparing for strike, and that the union is experiencing strong solidarity from both national and international unions.
«We are in close contact with the shop stewards in Ekofisk-komiteen (ConocoPhillips). They are working on the same field where SLB UK are doing well stimulation. The Seafarers onboard the «Island Captain» are organized in the Norwegian Seafarer’s Union. We have had contact with the Danish unions via Dansk Metall, throughout the process. We also have a dialogue going with the UK unions Unite and RMT on the matter».
