Unite, a UK union, says TotalEnergies workers are voting on strike action

The Unite union in the UK announced on Friday that offshore workers employed at TotalEnergies were voting for possible strike action.

The union said that "around 50 Unite members from the Elgin Franklin platform and North Alwyn platform are involved in a escalating conflict after an unacceptable wage offer was rejected by a large majority."

The union claims that the dispute is about the 2025 pay claim, which will take effect on January 1.

TotalEnergies first proposed a basic salary increase of 1.5%, but this was rejected by workers overwhelmingly. The union said that the offer was raised marginally to 1.75 %, but this new offer, which amounted to a pay cut in real terms, was also rejected.

Union announced that the ballot to strike the Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms would open on April 29, and close on June 2,

In a press release, the union stated that "Unite members perform a variety of roles within TotalEnergies, including engineers, senior operators, and mechanical, production, and operation technicians." (Reporting and editing by Christian Schmollinger, Kim Coghill, and Anushree mukherjee from Bengaluru)

(source: Reuters)