Offshore workers stranded as helicopter pilots strike

15/05/2024

HUNDREDS of offshore workers have been left stranded on rigs as three days of strike action from Bristow helicopter pilots get underway.

A pay offer was put to Bristow pilots on Friday, however disgruntled workers rejected it.

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As well as action taking place this week, walk outs are expected May 21-23, May 28-30 and June 4-6.

EnergyVoice reports that some workers are now 26 days on board and have had to cancel holidays as a result.

Nearly 100 scheduled flights will be disrupted, with each flight capable of carrying up to 16 passengers.

British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) says it was told “you just don’t understand the offer” when they rejected the latest tabled deal.

Amy Leversidge, BALPA general secretary, said: “They repeatedly said that to me, ‘Oh you just didn’t understand the offer,’ and we said no, we have read all the paperwork and took a significant amount of time to go through everything.

“They have read it, they have understood it, and they don’t like it, it’s not good enough.”

Bristow said it offered its pilots and technical crews an 11% average salary increase, plus a lump sum worth 6% of their 2023 pay.

A spokesman said: “The very nature of strike action means operations will be disrupted. However, our crewing, scheduling and ground-operations colleagues are working as diligently and as professionally as possible to minimise the impact.”

The strike affects transport to platforms operated by five companies: BP, Repsol, Chrysaor, EnQuest and Harbour Energy, according to Balpa.

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