More than 100 North Sea offshore workers have backed a new pay deal negotiated by Unite that will leave some employees almost £3,000 better off.
The agreement covers workers employed by offshore operator CNOOC on the Buzzard, Scott and Golden Eagle platforms.
Under the deal, basic pay will increase by 3.25 per cent, alongside a £600 increase in the offshore allowance. Unite says the overall package will be worth just under £3,000 for some workers, including electrical, instrument, mechanical and production technicians.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham welcomed the agreement as the latest in a series of successes for the union in Britain’s offshore oil and gas industry.
She said:
“Unite has delivered another win for CNOOC workers.
“It will help deliver better jobs, pay and conditions on the Buzzard, Scott, and Golden Eagle platforms.”
The agreement follows a substantially larger uplift secured for CNOOC workers last year, worth as much as £8,000 for some employees depending on their role.
Unite has represented workers at the three platforms through a formal recognition agreement with CNOOC Petroleum Europe since May 2023, giving the union a role in collective bargaining over pay and working conditions.
Unite industrial officer Stevie Davies said the latest agreement demonstrated the benefits the union had been able to secure for its members in the sector.
He said:
“Unite continues to achieve successes for our members in the offshore sector.
“We have delivered for our highly skilled CNOOC membership year after year and this is a deal we are pleased to have successfully negotiated with the company.”
The deal comes amid a wider push by Unite to improve pay and conditions across the North Sea.
Last month, around 50 workers employed by Neo Next secured a package worth more than £4,000 following the threat of strike action. Earlier this year, around 70 Adura Energy workers backed a deal providing a 3.9 per cent basic pay increase alongside improvements to offshore and other allowances.
Unite has also been campaigning for greater protection of North Sea jobs and the communities that depend on the offshore energy industry, arguing that workers must be at the centre of decisions about the sector’s future.
The latest CNOOC agreement adds to a series of collectively negotiated settlements as the union seeks to demonstrate that recognition and collective bargaining can deliver tangible improvements in pay and conditions for offshore workers.
