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LONDON (Alliance News) - Oil and gas companies operating in the North Sea look more likely to suffer from potential strikes by helicopter pilots that serve the area after members of the British Airline Pilots Association showed "strong support for strike action" in a ballot.
Last week, members of BALPA, which represents pilots from 26 different companies, met in Aberdeen to to discuss issues in the North Sea for helicopter operator after two helicopter operators announced 180 jobs would be lost due to pressure on the North Sea oil industry.
Bristow Helicopters announced it will make 130 people redundant whilst CHC Scotia will be cutting 50 roles. Around half of those job losses will be pilots with the other half being made up of other staff members.
On Thursday, BALPA closed a ballot where its members voted on potential strike action.
"North Sea Helicopter Pilots have indicated strong support for strike action if helicopter companies do not make serious improvements in the way they deal with job losses. They have also highlighted the serious impact on safety the threat of redundancy is having," said BALPA in a statement.
BALPA said its members accept the downturn in the oil and gas industry in the North Sea, one of the worst hit areas in the world by the fall in oil prices as companies cut investment and jobs to counter expensive production, and that they understood jobs would have to go, and claims they are unhappy with "the way management are going about it".
"Pilots want the helicopter companies to improve voluntary redundancy arrangements to try and prevent as many compulsory job losses as possible. And they believe the companies are not valuing the experience of senior pilots highly enough in deciding who may need to be made redundant," it said.
BALPA said if operators do not offer some form of change, it will hold a meeting in September to discuss a formal strike.
The pilots highlighted safety as a key concern in the ballot. BALPA said pilots reported that "the threat hanging over them, their families and their colleagues, was having serious unintended effects on their ability to sleep and concentrate."
"Safety must come first. We are not saying that helicopter companies are indifferent to these issues, but we would be remiss if we didn?t highlight the stress and pressure that pilots are feeling. We will be passing these concerns on to the Civil Aviation Authority who regulate aviation in the North Sea," it added.
BALPA works with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, government departments and other professional bodies where "the voice of the pilot is needed".
Oil and Gas UK, the trade representative for offshore oil and gas companies in the North Sea, has already said industrial action will only exacerbate the real challenges facing the business.
Oil and Gas UK has not released a response to the latest statement on Thursday.
Companies operating in the North Sea include majors such as BP PLC, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BG Group PLC, BHP Billiton PLC, Centrica PLC, Premier Oil PLC, Cairn Energy PLC and smaller companies like Parkmead Group PLC, Europa Oil and Gas (Holdings) PLC, Independent Oil and Gas PLC and Trap Oil PLC.
By Joshua Warner; joshuawarner@alliancenews.com; @JoshAlliance
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