Industrial relations at Ørsted

That this House is concerned by industrial relations at offshore wind multinational Ørsted, which is majority-owned by the Danish Government; notes that a 3.5 per cent consolidated pay increase has been rejected by RMT members working out of Birkenhead, Brightlingsea, Grimsby and Barrow on Ørsted’s operational offshore wind farms powering UK homes, schools, hospitals and businesses; further notes that the RPI inflation rate, used for pay negotiations, stands at 12.6 per cent, which is accelerating the cost of living crisis; regrets that Ørsted is refusing to discuss this pay dispute with trade union representatives from RMT; further notes that Ørsted recorded a profit of £644 million in the first quarter of 2022, a staggering 257 per cent increase from the same period a year earlier; applauds the hard work of Ørsted’s workers in the UK in delivering this increased profitability in safe and sustainable working conditions; is alarmed by RMT reports that a union member is being victimised for raising genuine health and safety concerns with this employer; fully supports a worker-led safety culture in the offshore renewables sector; and calls on the Government to ensure that the safety and employment rights of offshore wind workers at Ørsted and at renewable energy companies across the UK Exclusive Economic Zone are fully respected.