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Enough Is Enough 9 - November 2009
Subsea7’s No1 asset become their No1 nightmare
Super exploitation of Far Eastern labour spells misery for all.
Well finally it’s out there! One hundred and eighty five (and still rising) Subsea7 employees on the ROV fleet have told their bosses a few home truths. These RMT members have written and delivered an “open” letter to the company. The depth of feeling is all too apparent. The guys wrote;
“. . . . . . . . . . . .Enough is enough! If you think that we will idly sit back and allow you to remove our livelihoods without a fight you are very much mistaken. Isn’t it time that you at least had the courtesy to tell us what the future holds for everyone onboard your vessels? Is any discipline onboard safe from eventual replacement by cheap labour, or is it your intention that the whole industry will end up on Far Eastern wage rates?
You are labouring under the misapprehension that . . . (we) . . . are not capable of organising resistance to this policy? Please believe me when we tell you that the last thing that we would want to see would be damaging industrial action. Please also believe us when we tell you that we will take whatever actions are necessary to stop you destroying our livelihoods. . . ” | The letter from Subsea7 employee is accompanied by a hard hitting message from RMT, by General Secretary Bob Crow. He says:
“We must insist as a matter of urgency that the Company Representatives meet with this Union at local and national levels to discuss your intentions for those who are still fortunate enough to be employed.”
The OILC/RMT Branch has co-ordinated the campaign. OILC Branch Secretary, Neil Rothnie said,
“This is just the beginning! The branch is now going to open up the list for solidarity signatures from the rest of the membership. The focus will initially be on those members employed in the diving and ROV fleet on the UK North Sea. And then we’re going to campaign for our colleagues in Norway and Australia to show their support for the Subsea7 guys. Ultimately what these workers need is an agreement that will extend the kind of protection that the divers already have, to the rest of the workers in the fleet.” |
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RMT slams major North Sea engineering and construction company Subsea 7over “race to the bottom” on jobs and payOFFSHORE ENERGY union RMT today slammed the major subsea engineering and construction company Subsea 7 for engaging in a “race to the bottom” on pay and conditions through the hiring of cheap, overseas labour which has put jobs and conditions in the North Sea field under threat.
Subsea 7 delivered global pre tax profits of $425 million in 2008 with the bulk of the money - $235 million – being delivered from their North Sea operations.
Now the company are re-paying the hard work of their North Sea staff by threatening to dump them out of their jobs and hiring in cheap labour from overseas.
RMT have pledged an all-out fight to save jobs and to protect pay and conditions in the North Sea field and have warned Subsea 7 that they will mobilise a global trade union fightabck against the company. RMT are demanding immediate talks with Subsea 7 on the attack on jobs, pay and conditions. | In a letter to Subsea 7 management, RMT members say clearly: “If you think that we will idly sit back and allow you to remove our livelihoods without a fight you are very much mistaken.”
Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary, said: “RMT members employed by Subsea 7 are clearly angry at what is tantamount to social dumping regarding the decision by the company to replace them with cheaper labour from other countries.
We will not sit back while this highly-profitable, global company replace our members with cheap labour at the stroke of a pen. As well as causing anger and resentment within the Subsea 7 workforce these actions are setting alarm bells ringing right across the offshore industry.
We will have no hesitation in mobilising a global trade union campaign exposing the activities of Subsea 7 and would urge the company to make immediate arrangements to meet with RMT representatives to discuss their intentions and the impact on their UK workforce.” |
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We’re all in this together
RMT members employed by Subsea7 are showing the whole offshore workforce the way forward.
An “open” letter signed by our members using their membership numbers may not be the route to go down if you’re in “construction/engineering” or “drilling”. Being slowly replaced with slave labour hired in the Far East who are being paid £48 a day and working 12 weeks on 6 weeks off is slightly different from 30 odd years of bullying abuse and disrespect.
And if you’re in “catering” you’ve got a fight coming up anyway unless you’re going to allow it to be “business as usual” at COTA.
But if your employers refuse you the minimum respect of speaking to you, then you need to speak to them – somehow – and fast | To date Subsea7 are staying true to type. No answer so far to the “open” letter and no answer to Bob Crow’s letter either. This is just contempt! So we’ll just have to step it up.
Recruitment to the union amongst offshore workers throughout the subsea fleets is way up. Morale is rising as the guys “self organize” and stop waiting for someone else to solve their problems.
The OCA and UKDCA agreements are a sham. Your employers need to talk to YOU not the monkeys in the sweetheart unions that they have on the end of a chain. The OILC Branch of RMT is resolved to give you maximum support and encouragement as we have tried to do with the subsea guys. |
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Angry caterers have had enough
By a COTA shop steward and RMT/OILC member
I feel that the catering workers from both RMT and T&G on on my rig are probably the angriest I have seen them in the 20 years I have been offshore. The anger is bubbling away and getting hotter, with even the most mild-mannered union member venting their anger over the way they are being treated. This goes for members from “adhoc” steward to chef manager.
The word “strike” has been mentioned several times to me over the last few weeks and I must admit I don’t want to go down that road as it can be very damaging to the employer and unions. But if there was a ballot tomorrow I believe it would be in favour of our first strike in many years, and we must try and avoid this if we can. It’s not just a pay rise that they are concerned about, it’s the terms and conditions in our agreement. We want to see an end to “straight time” for weather bound situations as we feel as if we are being treated like mugs when the drilling personnel | beside us are getting premium rate for the same thing. All extra time offshore should be at the overtime rate.
There has also been talk of nightshift allowance, increased travel, especially for those further afield like Liverpool, or who have a late check in on the rig and can’t get home and have to stay the night in Aberdeen. The offshore workforce, not just catering, is waiting for the outcome of the Working Time Directive appeal, which should be in the summer of 2010. We feel very angry on this subject and would hope that all the companies will give the workforce their 4 weeks paid leave sooner rather than later as this is bubbling away too. Looking back 10 years ago very few caterers were in any union. Now “adhocs” to chef mangers are joining up every day and there is only one reason for this. They have been treated unfairly and now they’re telling us, “enough is enough “. |
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OILC Conference postponed – watch this space
The OILC (Offshore Grades) Conference planned for October 22 and 23 has been postponed by the National Officer Steve Todd because of organisational problems. The conference has been rescheduled for early in the New Year. The venue will be the Carmelite Hotel, Aberdeen (round the corner from the OILC office)
 Details of the dates, eligibility to attend, expenses for attendance, etc, will be announced just as soon as these details have been decided by the Shipping and Offshore Committee of the Council of Executives and relayed to the branch(es).
All grades have the right to be represented at the conference. Members from catering, construction/engineering, the diving and ROV fleets and drilling, are invited to consider applying for credentials. The branch will endeavour to accommodate all who want to attend, subject to rule.
We need to develop a strategy for achieving effective unionisation of the different sectors of the industry. | An overall strategy needs to be hammered out and individual strategies developed to meet the different challenges of the different sectors. It has never been so obvious that these strategies, and the practice which will have to flow from them, and the resources that will have to be provided to make them work, will have to be hammered out by the offshore membership. But the OILC Branch alone cannot organise 26,000 workers. This is a task for the entire union. The leadership of the union must give effective leadership.
Two resolutions from the grades conference will automatically go before next year’s AGM. If we are to get the fullest support for organising the North Sea from the leadership of the union we need to debate and decide on our priorities – and what leadership we expect from the National Union.
My sincere apologies to those of you who made plans to ensure attendance on the original dates. I hope you will make every effort to accommodate the changes. Please contact the branch secretary, oilc.secretary@gmail.com if you are interested in attending and he will contact you as soon as the information is available. |
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