Apache offshore workers plan two strikes over pay

More than 160 Apache offshore workers are scheduled to stage two 24-hour strikes over pay, with Unite warning that the action could disrupt the Forties Pipeline System and UK fuel supplies. Apache says contingency plans should allow other producers to continue using the pipeline. The strikes’ operational and supply effects have not been established. The first stoppage is planned to begin at 6 a.m. on October 21 and end the following morning. A second 24-hour walkout is scheduled for November 4. Unite, which represents workers across several trades, says seven platforms in the Forties and Beryl developments are expected to be affected. The union says Apache’s pay offer would amount to a real-terms cut for many workers, with proposals ranging from a pay freeze to increases below inflation. Apache says its offer provides a 4% increase for employees in the bargaining unit and describes it as fair. The company also said those workers are among the UK’s highest earners and average 153 working days a year on their offshore rota. Unite has warned that a shutdown at the Forties Charlie platform could reduce pipeline pressure and disrupt the Forties Pipeline System, which carries...