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Working Time Debate Kicks Off !

Dear colleagues,


WORKING TIME DEBATE KICKS OFF!

Glasgow meeting calls on referendum for action and union unity!

In Glasgow city centre 19-1-12 just over 60 members attended the first in a series of meetings to discuss the perverse ruling of the Supreme Court, which has denied offshore workers any benefit from the Working Time Regulations. …

UK Oil and Gas Industry Safety Awards


Oil and Gas UK have approached our Regional Organiser Jake Molloy and asked if we could publicise the fact the nomination process for these safety awards is now open and explain what the awards are for. …

Branch Meeting - Newcastle - Bob Crow to attend.

Dear colleagues,


The Offshore Energy Branch of RMT will be holding a branch meeting in Newcastle on 23-02-12 with the main point of discussion being the Supreme Courts ruling, which has concluded that offshore employers can designate field breaks as your holiday periods.

'Fault' becomes costly nightmare!

Our picture is a 'slightly broken' CHC operated Puma helicopter which, it's reported, had initially 'developed a fault' after landing on Total UK's Elgin installation last Wednsday, 28th December. We are told the aircraft fault wasn't repaired in time to get it off the installation and avoid the gales which blew through the area the following night Thursday 29th and, as our sources put it; "it took a real hammering overnight" or as another put it; "their minor fault turned into a costly nightmare!"

Read the Latest Edition of Blowout

Blowout 83 Dec 2011

Attention all catering members.

Attention all Catering members; COTA referendum delivers overwhelming support for industrial action ballot! Please see the attached joint union update on the outcome of the COTA referendum. Every catering member will receive a letter on the issue to their home address, however due to the Christmas holiday these may be slightly delayed. …

SUPREME COURT REJECTS WORKERS APPEAL

Offshore workers claims for paid leave refused


It’s a battle that’s lasted almost 20 years and ended with proceedings in the Supreme Court on October 26th and 27th. The outcome - we lost! The five Law Lords mulled the issue over for little more than a month and delivered their decision this morning, December 7

Members Response to Working Time Decision

As a result of the Supreme Court ruling on 'Working Time' for offshore workers, we have been inundated with emails complaining and generally 'ranting' about the decision. We therefore took the decision to ask members to provide a response to a couple of questions about the decision and here we reproduce most of the ones we've had thus far. …

Working Time Meeting - Glasgow 19th January

Members are advised that the first of a series of meetings regarding the WTD ruling and how we  respond to this outrageous decision will commence in Glasgow on Thursday 19th January 2012.

Further meetings will be held in Newcastle in February, Aberdeen in March, Inverness in April, the outcome of all these meetings will then be discussed at the RMT/OILC conference to be held in Dundee May 2012 where a decision will be taken to which course of action if any will be taken by the members.

Message from Bob Crow to all Offshore Workers

12th December 2011

TO ALL BRANCHES, REGIONAL COUNCILS & REGIONAL OFFICES

Dear Colleagues,

WORK TIME DIRECTIVE PAID LEAVE SUPREME COURT RULING  OFFSHORE WORKERS

I write to express to you my utter disgust at the Supreme Court ruling that refuses offshore workers their four-week holiday entitlement. …

UNION STRENGTH WINS PAY DEALS

 We we want to highlight especially to our "Catering members" who are in dispute with the employers what can be achieved when full union membership is gained. Also attached is a article about FUP [Brazilian Oil workers Union]  who are willing to strike to gain Norwegian Safety Standards in there sector, they also wish to obtain better pay and greater workforce involvement in health and safety. …

OCA Standby now 7 days

RMT/OILC believes D1 standard time rate [Cat B Terms] is wrong on the document and should be £17.32 per hour

Please click on the link below for the document download.

OCA final 2011-2012

WORKING TIME SUPREME COURT PROCEEDINGS END

The long awaited hearing at the Supreme Court dealing with holiday rights for offshore workers ended yesterday (27th October). After almost 2 days of intense legal wrangling and debate the proceedings were brought to a close by Lord Hope, the Deputy President of the Supreme Court. …

Education Courses Available at Doncaster Education Centre

To: All BRANCHES, REGIONAL COUNCILS, & REGIONAL OFFICES 

Dear Colleagues.

Education Courses at Doncaster Education Centre – 2012.

I am pleased to enclose the calendar for our Education programme for 2012 at the RMT’s Education Centre in Doncaster. …

Latest Edition of Enough is Enough

Please click on link below to download the latest edition of EiE

enough_is_enough_15.pdf

Results of COTA phone ballot

RMT & UNITE JOINT SHOP STEWARDS COMMITTEE 

14th October 2011 


To All Unite the Union and RMT Offshore Caterers (COTA grades A to E) 

Dear Brothers and Sisters

 

COTA WAGE OFFER 2011/12 PHONE BALLOT (10th to 14

URGENT - ATTENTION ALL OFFSHORE WORKERS

The Offshore Energy Branch of RMT has received numerous calls regarding a tax consultant who is advising he can recover tax payments for offshore workers. This consultant advises he can recover several years of payments from HM Revenue and Customs and he will deduct a commission payment for the service.


Minutes of COTA Negotiation Meetings

Please click on the link below to read the minutes of the COTA meetings.

cota_wage_negotiations_2011.pdf

cota_wage_negotiation_minut.pdf

cota_wage_negotiations_2011.pdf


100% - Reject COTA offer.

The Caterers Offshore Trade Association (COTA) member companies have issued their response to the recommendation from the COTA joint shop stewards committee to reject this years wage offer. The RMT offshore energy branch would like to express our reaction to the COTA statement;

HSE releases findings from safety rep inspection project

The Health and Safety Executive has finally released the report on the Inspection Project conducted in 2010 looking at compliance with, and the effectiveness of, the offshore Safety Representative regulations, "Offshore Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989", commonly referred to as SI971. …

2011/12 COTA PHONE BALLOT

The 2011/12 COTA phone ballot will be run from: 

Monday 10th to Friday 14th of October 2011 

Lines will be open all day between 

9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday 

and 9.00am to 3.00pm on Friday. 

To register your vote: 

COTA WAGE NEGOTIATIONS 2011/12 UPDATE


To All Unite the Union and RMT Offshore Caterers 

(COTA Grades A to E


Dear Brothers and Sisters 


COTA WAGE NEGOTIATIONS 2011/12: UPDATE 

Prior to this year’s negotiations commencing our joint Shop Steward brought forward their members aspirations regarding their terms and conditions etc, which they felt needed to be improved this year along with a substantial basic rate increase.…

Workers in Fulmar asbestos fibre scare

On 18 February, workers from Aberdeen-based contract companies Paradigm Flow Solutions and CAN (Offshore) began work on the deluge system in several of the platform’s modules, which involved using wire brushes and scrapers to clean a number of flanges and remove old gaskets.

Offshore Energy Grades Conference May 21st - 23rd 2012

Offshore Energy Grades Conference – May 21st-23rd – 2012

The Offshore Energy Grades Conference shall be held in the Apex Dundee City Hotel next year. We have secured a beautiful hotel which over looks the River Tay with some excellent views. …

Improvement Notice served on Brent C after inspection

An Improvement Notice was served after inspectors from the UK safety regulator visited Brent Charlie on 30 June and 1 July, ahead of the full shutdown that began on 15 July.
 
The HSE told Upstream the notice was served to ensure that Shell reassessed the risks of operating the platform while all production was shut down, but prior to completion of modification works on the vent system. …

OCA deal – done?


We can confirm that the revised offer on the basic OCA rate has been accepted by the Unite and GMB membership. The members voted almost 2 to 1 in favour of accepting the deal, apparently at 4.5%, which had been recommended by the respective officials of both unions. …

Latest Edition of Enough is Enough

Click in the link below to read the latest edition 

enough-is-enough-14single-p.pdf

Tax Avoidance

Please click on the link below to read RMT's leaflet on the tax avoidance scam.


rmt-tax-avoidance-flyersing.pdf

DEATHS AT WORK RISE TO 171

HHH INDUSTRY Fatalities

28 Jun 2011 - 10:42

By Alan Jones, Press Association Industrial Correspondent

The number of people killed at work increased last year to 171, including 50 in the construction industry, new figures showed today.

Brae Alpha leak had capacity to spark an explosion

The following article was written by Robb Watts of Upstream Oil and Gas UK.


AN UNCONTROLLED hydrocarbon leak last October on Marathon’s ageing Brae Alpha platform in the UK North Sea that could have led to a major explosion was only detected because a worker happened to smell gas.

UK trades unions in push for more safety muscle

Article written by Robb Watts in Upstream Oil and Gas UK.

Calls for new powers for North Sea offshore representatives

UK TRADES unions have seized on an ongoing review of the country’s offshore regulatory regime in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the US Gulf to call for workforce safety representatives to be given radical new powers.

Agency Workers Directive due to come into force October 1st 2011

All members should read the latest guidance issued from the Department of Business Innovation and Skills issued in May 2011 regarding  the Agency Workers Directive. If you are a Agency worker this will affect you directly, RMT/OILC is currently putting a article together for the next edition of EIE/BLOWOUT due out in August. …

Deepwater Horizon - Full Report Available to download

This report is 328 pages long and does take a bit of time to download but is recommended reading.

deepwater-reporttothepresid.pdf


Standby vessel collides with BP Magnus platform, click on link to see the pictures.


BP seem to be in trouble again, what was this vessel doing so close to the Magnus Platform, pictures seem to indicate that the bunkering hoses got wrapped around the mast of the vessel. We hope the HSE offshore division are investigating this incident.

Attention all RMT Caterers

Attention all RMT caterers


2010-2011 COTA Agreement. 


RMT/OILC Offshore Energy Branch attaches a link for you to download the COTA agreement.   



http://www.oilc.org/COTA_update101210.pdf

Is your Installation a rotten heap of junk ?

Well the HSE offshore division have recently issued a comprehensive report that has found neglect and extreme corrosion on installations across the UKCS. 


Members should read the attached report.


Please email or telephone [strictly confidential] RMT/OILC immediately if you have concerns about your installation.…

Contact OILC/RMT