Union ‘disgusted’ over plan to lay off North Sea workers

Unite said it had been unable to convince Archer to use the UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme.

Jenness Mitchell

10th Apr 2020

A trade union has claimed a drilling contractor intends to make more than 130 North Sea workers redundant.

Unite said it had been unable to convince Archer to use the UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme to furlough the staff during the coronavirus crisis.

The union branded the decision “disgusting” and vowed to “consider all actions”, including lodging unfair dismissal cases.

Archer, which has an office in Blackburn, Aberdeenshire, has been contacted for comment.

Unite said the proposed redundancies will affect the Alba and Captain installations that are operated by Ithaca, and the Claymore Alpha, Piper Bravo and Roving Crew, which are all operated by Repsol.

The union said it would push Archer to reverse the decision.

Archer: Unite said the company intends to lay off more than 130 workers.

Unite regional officer, Shauna Wright, said: “Unite Scotland has been informed that Archer has shamefully decided not to utilise the government retention scheme for their workers.

“The company is looking to axe over 130 jobs through redundancy which is a devastating blow to a highly skilled workforce.

“We urge Archer to reverse this disgusting decision and to immediately look at how the government scheme can be used to support the workers during this difficult time by delaying the redundancies.

“If they don’t do the right thing then Unite will consider all actions in order to support the workforce including the possibility of lodging unfair dismissal cases on their behalf.”