Offshore workers operating on two crucial North Sea platforms, the Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn, are currently balloting for industrial action. The dispute involves employees of Neo Next + Energy E&P, the company formed from the merger of TotalEnergies’ UK North Sea upstream oil and gas business and Neo Next.
Britain’s Unite the union initiated the ballot on June 1, with voting scheduled to conclude on July 6. Approximately 50 members, including control room, production, and senior operators, as well as operations and production technicians, are involved in the process.
The proposed industrial action stems from the workers’ rejection of a pay offer stated to be below 3 per cent. Unite’s General Secretary, Sharon Graham, underscored the union’s position on the matter.
“These workers deserve far better than a pitiful pay offer from an oil and gas operator making hundreds of millions in profits,” Graham stated. “Unite’s offshore members will have our full support in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
Unite has highlighted the financial performance of TotalEnergies E&P UK, reporting post-tax profits of £70.8 million ($95.35 million) in 2024, following £226.2 million ($304.56 million) in the preceding year.
Stevie Davies, Unite’s Industrial Officer, reinforced the union’s stance, emphasising the skill level of the workforce. He commented: “These are highly skilled workers and low ball pay offers simply don’t cut it. The company need to get back round the table swiftly or our members will have no option but to take action.”
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The Elgin field, which commenced operations in 2001 and is anticipated to remain active until 2040, is situated in Blocks 22/30b and 22/30c of the UK North Sea, approximately 200 kilometres east of Aberdeen, in waters 92 metres deep. Its satellite fields, Franklin and West Franklin, are located 5.5 kilometres south of Elgin.
The North Alwyn platform, part of the broader Alwyn area development, serves as a vital hub. It comprises two linked platforms, North Alwyn Alpha (NAA) and North Alwyn Bravo (NAB), which provide power and water injection support to surrounding fields while processing produced oil, gas, and water. The Dunbar platform, which processes fluids from the Dunbar, Grant, and Ellon fields, is also connected to Alwyn via pipeline.
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