FIGHTING FOR STANDARDS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june bulletin 3 2020 :: RMTnews 5 These standards are critical to sustaining employment in the offshore energy sector whilst improving health and safety performance. Minimum Standards on pay – Collective Agreements like COTA, OCA, ODIA and others are the minimum standards anyone should be working to. If contractors or agencies come in to our sector and pay below these standards they can very quickly drive rates of pay and conditions down. Common Training Standards – why would riggers have one standard of training for oil and gas operations and a different standard when working in decommissioning or renewables? The same question can be asked about divers, scaffolders, technicians and a host of other disciplines. Common, recognised training standards for survival, first aid, fire fighting and other courses must be achieved to allow workers to transition into other sectors. The energy industry must be prepared to accept and recognise alternative training. Standardised rota system – Why not? It’s worked in Norway and Denmark for years. It worked in the UK for years with the standard being 2:2. The only thing stopping it is greedy operators looking to squeeze maximum returns for shareholders at the expense of FIGHTING FOR STANDARDS RMT has launched a ‘Fighting for Standards’ campaign for the offshore energy sector.