Offshore Industry Crisis

That the Parliament is concerned at reports that the offshore oil and gas industry is reintroducing employment terms and conditions that have not been seen since the late 1980s; understands with particular concern that a "three-weeks on, three-weeks off" shift pattern has been imposed without consultation, which it believes is unprecedented on North Sea platforms; further understands that offshore workers’ annual leave entitlement has been removed, which has increased their working year by 336 hours; believes that the imposition of longer shift patterns undermines the objective of setting a regulatory regime for continuous improvement in offshore safety standards that was recommended by Lord Cullen in his report on the Piper Alpha tragedy; understands that workers have also had sick pay cover reduced to the statutory minimum, travel allowances cut and have lost jobs through compulsory redundancy; believes that the Oil and Gas Authority Commission’s report to the UK Government of 25 February 2015 warned the industry against making cost reductions that adversely impact on safety, asset stewardship and skills development, and calls on the Energy Jobs Taskforce to review the impact of the oil and gas industry’s changes to employment terms and conditions on both offshore worker safety and the long-term viability of exploration, extraction, maintenance and decommissioning work in the UK continental shelf.