Apache North Sea strike set for 21 October as 160 workers walk out in pay dispute

More than 160 Apache offshore workers will stage a 24-hour walkout in the North Sea from 6am on Wednesday 21 October, after rejecting the operator’s pay offer (Energy Live News). The strike covers seven Apache assets linked to the Forties and Beryl fields, with a second stoppage already scheduled for 4 November if the dispute remains unresolved.

Unite says disruption at Apache’s Charlie platform could cut pressure enough to affect the wider Forties Pipeline System, which carries oil and gas from more than 80 offshore fields plus the St Fergus gas terminal. The union puts the system at around 29% of UK oil and 30% of UK gas throughput (Reuters).

Workers voted to reject a deal Unite says ranges from a freeze to below-inflation increases, a real-terms cut, though Apache says it offered 4%. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The fact is Apache has so far chosen not to do this which is putting UK fuel supplies at risk.”

Talks involving ACAS are due before the strike, but the union says progress has been limited. The walkout comes as pump prices sit near 175p a litre for petrol and about £2 for diesel, with Brent crude touching almost $110 a barrel last week.

Apache says contingency plans are in place and it does not expect the strike to affect other producers’ use of the Forties pipeline, comparing any pressure reduction to routine maintenance.