DIVERS READY FOR ACTION

www.rmt.org.uk :: october 2006 :: RMTnews 5 S trike action by more than 800 diving personnel employed in the North Sea oil and gas industries is a step closer following a massive rejection of a pay offer that failed to address two decades of pay erosion. Announcing that the offer had been rejected by an enormous 640 votes to 2, the union has given notice that only a dramatically improved pay offer would avert strike action by divers and diving support staff from November 1. North Sea divers have seen their earnings slip by nearly 20 per cent behind UK average earnings since 1984. RMT's claim is for a 50 per cent increase, and the offer rejected is of just 15 per cent over three years. RMT membership has increased dramatically since the ballot was announced. "The massive turnout and the all-but unanimous vote show exactly how angry our members are at an offer that simply fails even to dent the chronic pay slippage they have had to endure for more than 20 years," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. "We hope that the employers will take note of this tremendous ballot result and table an offer that redresses the real-terms pay cuts and sub-inflation deals our members have been expected to swallow for so long. "No-one can argue that the industry cannot afford to pay decent rates to people who work in a particularly difficult and dangerous industry," Bob said. "Our members have spoken with a single voice and now it is the turn of the employers to respond with a serious offer," said RMT national secretary Steve Todd. UK Offshore Operators Association spokesman Steve Harris has attacked the planned walkout. “Anything that compromises the competitiveness of the UK in what is a global marketplace is deeply regretted,” he said. Steve Todd responded by pointing out that with such an attitude why didn’t he go the whole hog and argue to bring back slavery. He said that members were determined to win a decent pay deal and if it came to a fight they were ready. “Our sister unions in Europe and beyond have assured us that they will give any assistance we may need. "We are still ready to talk, but it is now crystal clear that we need to have something more serious to talk about to reward these workers for the hard and dangerous job they do for companies bringing in huge profits," Steve said. For instance, Subsea 7, one of the companies involved, has just been awarded two separate six-year contracts by Shell Exploration and Production in Europe with a combined value in the region of nearly a billion pounds. DIVERS READY FOR ACTION