The move comes at a critical period for the industry, with employers under pressure over safety issues and facing legal challenges from unions over working hours and holiday entitlements.

The decision by the Offshore Industry Liaison Committee (OILC) to transfer operations to RMT will create the second-largest North Sea union, with more than 3,000 members. The largest union is Unite, which has 7,000 offshore members and was formed last year through a merger of T&G and Amicus.

Falling membership and subsequent strains on union finances and loss of influence have triggered a series of union mergers over the past two decades. Union membership, which peaked at 13.2m in 1979, when more than half of all workers were members, has fallen to fewer than 7.5m as employment in traditional manufacturing industries has declined. Just over 28 per cent of employees are now union members.

The RMT, better known for its militant stance in the rail industry, is one of the few unions to have increased membership through organic growth. It has more than 70,000 members, of which more than 1,000 work in the North Sea. Last year it won a 45 per cent pay rise over three years for more than 900 North Sea divers following a 10-day strike.

Jake Molloy, general secretary of OILC, said: “Joining forces ... can do nothing but good in a sector that is notoriously difficult to organise. Together we will have the resources and the experience to organise for better safety and to win better pay and conditions and job security for offshore workers.”

OILC was formed in 1988 after the Piper Alpha oil platform explosion that killed 167 workers. The offshore industry, which has more than 25,000 employees, is still not heavily unionised but this has not prevented unions from increasing pressure on employers over safety and working hours.

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Offshore union merges with RMT

The Herald: February 15 2008
GRAEME SMITH

THE offshore trade union OILC, formed in the wake of the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster, has merged with the 80,000- strong RMT.

Just over 1000 of the OILC's 2500 members took part in the ballot and almost 80% of them were in favour.

In total, just over 30% of the union members supported the proposal which was endorsed by a special meeting of the RMT last year.
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From May 1, the OILC, which will retain its own identity, will be the offshore arm of the larger union which already represents diving and catering workers offshore.

"This is a historic day for trade unionism in the offshore sector," said OILC general secretary Jake Molloy who will become lead officer for the new RMT offshore section.

"It was right OILC members had the final say, but joining forces with a union built on grassroots involvement and which fights for workers' rights can do nothing but good in a sector notoriously difficult to organise.

"Together we will have the resources and the experience to organise for better safety and to win better pay and conditions and job security for offshore workers."

Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said: "It makes sound industrial sense for two unions organising in the same sector and with the same outlook to join forces.

"Our job is to make life safer for the workers. That is our first priority. We can talk about better pay and better conditions but if you are dead or injured that becomes a nonentity.

"Our number one priority will be safety in the workplace and after that securing the best terms and conditions for our members. We don't believe in reasonable pay, we believe in good pay. We don't believe in reasonable conditions, we believe in good conditions."