Energy - Offshore workers unite
WORKERS, APR 2008 ISSUE
FOLLOWING AN 80% vote in favour, the offshore oil and gas workers have voted to merge their liaison committee, OILC, with the RMT.
As the current issue of their magazine Blowout comments, the merger will greatly strengthen workers in the offshore oil and gas industry, and go a long way to fulfilling their vision, "to create a combative, all-industry union to balance the power of the oil companies and the contractors in every possible way".
Another boost has come in the wake of the vote: a long-running battle over annual paid leave has been won.
As feature articles in the last two issues of WORKERS have pointed out, major companies are still committing serious safety breaches and try to erode conditions in an increasingly desperate scramble for oil and gas resources.