Unite union members working under the Offshore Contractors Association (OCA) agreement voted to accept bosses’ latest offer in a consultative ballot last week.
But the wafer thin majority of 50.31 percent shows that many members want a better deal.
Unite recommended acceptance of the deal
Offshore union activist Harry described it as “a watered down version of a shit deal that was already rejected because it worsened terms and conditions”.
He added, “People are going to work an extra week a year offshore for no extra money and have to spend the time away from their families.”
Some workers are preparing to challenge the result as they believe Unite balloted people not covered by the OCA agreement.
They are also angry at being reballoted on deals that in essence they have already thrown out.
Workers have faced an onslaught from oil bosses over the past two years.
Bosses have used the excuse of low oil prices to drive through attacks on terms and conditions.
Workers fear the longer shift patterns being imposed and irregular maintenance work is creating increasingly dangerous conditions for offshore workers.
A gas blast on the Brae Alpha platform at the end of last year underlined how serious this is for offshore workers and it was only due to luck that it did not lead to disaster.
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