FIGHTING FOR OFFSHORE WORKERS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2018 :: RMTnews 11 Delegates to the 2018 offshore shipping grades industrial organising conference welcomed a hard-hitting report that found that spending three weeks at a time offshore left many oil workers feeling they are suffering substantial fatigue and more likely to experience psychological distress. The Robert Gordon University report, commissioned in partnership with Acas and the offshore unions including RMT, suggested that many found it more difficult to recover from the new three weeks on/three weeks off rota pattern. The previous rota system was two weeks on/three weeks off and the changes to working patterns were brought in to save money. RMT national secretary, Steve Todd said that the report was a timely reminder of the shocking approach oil and gas companies and their contractors had taken to industrial relations since the oil price fell in 2014. “Three-weeks on three-weeks off, now worked by a majority of offshore contractors, compared to only 17 per cent a decade ago, is clearly driving a deterioration in the work-life balance amongst offshore staff. “Yet it has never been subject to full consultation between the workforce, their trade unions, oil companies and employers. “The practice is regarded as risky by the HSE and is not used in the Norwegian sector which is also contending with the impact on costs from the collapse in oil prices in recent years. “We continue to completely oppose this shift pattern and its imposition on the contractor workforce and will use this report to spell out to politicians, regulators and the public the liberties that continue to be taken by some oil companies and their contractors - 3-on 3- off is not for RMT," he said. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that offshore workers' rights had suffered during the recent down turn in the oil and gas industry and this report is an important measure of the extent to which employers had imposed terms and conditions of the contractor workforce which were badly affecting work-life balance, as well as fundamental employment rights. “This report is a wake-up call to the whole sector but, vitally, the government and the Oil and Gas Authority must start putting this industry on a sustainable footing and not continue with day rates, 3-on 3-off and other exploitative employment practices which sees jobs, skills and tax revenue flowing out of the UK,” he said. Delegates also called for the standardisation of Diving Decompression and Excursion tables for all Companies operating within the UK Continental Shelf. David Marshall, North East Shipping said that currently, each company used its own tables and there have been reported decompression incidents using ‘Quick Tables’ to the detriment of divers. “If the tables were standardised, it would remove any such advantage with each Company having to make the same allowance during their bidding process for the job. The Norwegian Union Industr Energi is active already in this area,” he said. Conference called for a joint campaign with IE to standardise tables and for RMT members to assist in providing documentation and undocumented issues they have experience with their tables. Delegates were also concerned that some companies did not correctly acknowledge the logging of diving lock outs and what is defined as a lock out. “We understand that some employers are refusing to let employees record lock outs to use as evidence to take them to the next pay grade level in the ODIA agreement. “The definition of a lock out is as follows, working diver leaving the closed diving bell in the water. This happens twice in a normal bell run, but as mentioned certain companies are only allowing divers to log one per bell run. “We believe that a diver should be allowed to count every lock out that they do and not be dictated to by certain Companies in the ODIA agreement,” said David Marshall. Conference called on the union to combat such ‘rogue’ activities and involve the ODIA to prevent such a flagrant disregard for pay, terms and conditions. Delegates were also concerned that offshore diving companies are abusing the trainee rate system in the ODIA agreement and called on the union to initiate a campaign to highlight any or all companies that were doing so. Conference also called on the union to increase its efforts on recruitment and called for people to attend all heliports at Aberdeen, Humberside, Norwich and Blackpool at least every month. Delegates also noted that members were experiencing increasing problems after being certified fit to return to work by their doctors. They were subsequently found to be ‘unfit’ for offshore work by a company doctor and more and more GPs were refusing to issue a sickness certificate where they have already deemed a member to be fit. Conference called on the union to lobby the OGUK to protect members from being in a no pay situation. FIGHTING FOR OFFSHORE WORKERS Offshore organising conference welcomes fatigue report findings on three weeks on/three weeks off rotas