The Unite union has announced it is balloting around 50 TotalEnergies offshore workers in the North Sea for strike action.
Unite said workers based on the Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms are involved in an “escalating dispute” after the “overwhelming rejection of an unacceptable pay offer”.
In response to the announcement, a TotalEnergies spokesperson said the firm is “disappointed” its employees are being balloted on strike action.
The union said the dispute centres on the pay claim for 2025, with workers rejecting an initial offer from TotalEnergies for a 1.5% basic salary increase.
A subsequent offer of a 1.75% pay increase, which Unite said amounts to a real terms pay cut, was also rjected.
Unite said the ballot covering Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn will open on 29 April and close on 2 June.
The offshore workers include skilled engineers, control room and senior operators alongside mechanical, operation and production technicians, Unite said.
‘Shameful behaviour’ from TotalEnergies, union says
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “TotalEnergies has posted multi-billion-pound profits year after year, yet it is trying to impose a real terms pay cut.
“This is shameful behaviour from an extraordinarily profitable company. Unite will back our members all the way in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
Unite industrial officer John Boland said the TotalEnergies employees are “being forced to ballot on strike action to get a fair pay award from a multi-billion company”.
“TotalEnergies is treating its highly skilled workforce with contempt and Unite is determined to hold it to account,” Boland said.
© Supplied by TotalEnergies“The company should be under no illusions that if our members take strike action it will cause major disruption to the operations on both platforms.”
In response to the Unite statement, a TotalEnergies spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that our workforce is being balloted on strike action and we remain committed to negotiating in relation to our employees’ 2025 terms and conditions claim.”
The potential strike action is the latest in a series of industrial disputes covering North Sea offshore workers in recent months.
Offshore helicopter pilots undertook months of industrial action last year in a dispute with operator Bristow.
Meanwhile, around 60 offshore chemists and engineers employed by IES Callenberg and SGS UK also undertook strike action last year.
