- More than 160 offshore oil workers at Apache have voted to strike over a pay dispute, with the Unite union warning action could begin this month across seven North Sea assets.
- Unite claimed industrial action could severely disrupt UK fuel supplies by forcing the shutdown of the entire Forties pipeline system.
- Apache and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero disputed claims of widespread disruption, stating contingency plans will maintain third-party production on the crude oil pipeline.
- Unite general secretary Sharon Graham accused Apache of corporate greed, whilst Apache defended its 4 per cent pay increase offer as fair and reflective of high existing earnings.
- The dispute occurs against a backdrop of surging global fuel prices and rising UK inflation driven by ongoing international conflicts.
IN FULL