Issue 85 • WINTER 2013

BLOWOUT

Puma problems - the latest

GOOD NEWS! Protecting your family’s future

Cozens & Dean

* Based on a male - 30 years of age - non smoker - 20 year level term. * Actual premiums will depend on your circumstances

Look at what some of our customers have said about us; I am extremely happy with the premiums, you were cheaper by approximately 30% than my existing provider and that was for my wife too! I would recommend you to all RMT members.

as a commercial diver, I am extremely happy with how easy and stress free it was to set up the policy, and with a great premium, I can now rest easy knowing I am fully covered.I must admit Cozens & Dean was the only company able to offer me life and critical illness cover at standard terms.I am very thankful and would recommend to all.B, Leics, Air Diver

The process of starting a policy through Cozens & Dean has been a stress free task. Medical was done quickly at home and was completed at my pleasure, saving time and inconvenience. And unlike other quotes I’ve had, other questions were easily answered over the phone in a matter of minutes. Premiums for the cover I obtained are very reasonable and I would recommend to all in my industry.

J, York, IMCA Supervisor.

To get a no obligation quotation call Matt Sands on 01354 697746 / 07970 630074

or visit: www.candd.uk.com/askaquestion.asp

Standard life insurance rates now available for many offshore occupations.

£500,000 of LEVEL LIFE COVER FOR AS LITTLE AS £25.00 PER MONTH *

Occupations at standard rates includes: Saturation Divers Air Divers IMCA Diving Supervisor Life Support Technician Rig Inspection Engineer Scaffolders

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Editor:Jake MolloyProduction: RMT PublicationsAdministration:OILC BranchLetters to the Editor:Blowout wants to hear from itsreaders and all comments arewelcome, member or not. Lettersmust include writer’s signature andaddress. Letters may be shortened.Names will be witheld at writer’srequest.

Published by:RMT/OILC49 Carmelite Street, Aberdeen AB11 6NQTel: 01224 210118, Fax: 01224 210095, E-mail: blowout@oilc.org.

C O N T E N T S

Page 2: Latest update on thePuma problems.

Page 3: Safety reps playingtheir part amongst industryleaders.

Pages 4 & 5: Your employmentrights are coming under attacklike never before – look out ifyou’re on your own!

Page 6: Longest ever strike inNorway ends – we report.

Page 7: Our Norwegianbrothers and sisters comeunder pressure to reducecosts, but at what price?

Page 8: You can help create afitting memorial for our lostcolleagues killed in airaccidents.

Pages 9 – 11: New training forelected safety representativesis at last a reality.

Pages 12 & 13: RMT targets;we update you on ouractivities to improve your lot.

Pages 14 & 15: The ‘shady’world of blacklisting has finallybeen exposed and we give youan insight.

Page 16: Blacklist? Whatblacklist? Does such a thinghappen in the offshore sector?

Pages 17 & 18: Magnificentmen; your regular aviationupdate.

Pages 19 – 21: Briefly – TAQAproblems; Engineering fears;and a new attack oncontractors pay and conditionsincluded in this editions newsin brief.

Moved or changed job?It is imperative that RMT/OILC

Offshore Energy Branch memberswho have changed their place of work,job title, employer, home address andor contact details, inform head officeimmediately. This is crucial if we areto ensure you are informed aboutissues affecting your employment; tobe involved in referendums and orballots; to receive our publicationsand updates, or news on benefits.Keep us updated – and we’ll keep youupdated!This can be done by emailing;

info@rmt.org.uk, or calling freephone0800 376 3706. Alternatively, you canchange the details yourself by going towww.rmt.org.uk/members (click on'membership detail').And if you’re not a member we have to

ask why not? Non-members are aloneand vulnerable when ‘trouble’ arises.Don’t wait until there’s an issue withyour employment, or you sustain aserious injury, then call RMT/OILC andexpect us to assist you, we can’t!Don't go it alone . . .Stand beside your workmates and beprotected by Britain's fastest growing union.Unity is strength – be part of the solution tothe problems you face offshore, joinRMT/OILC today.To join call FREE on 0800 376 3706

and ask to be allocated to OffshoreEnergy, S100 Branch.

Pages 22 & 23: Letters – theusual mixed bag with claimsblacklisting does exist andconcerns over choppers.

Page 24: Membership form –join now and get protected!

* I

YES NO

3 Female

4 Black African Black Caribbean Black Other

P Indian Chinese Bangladeshi Irish Other (please state)

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On October 22nd a CHC operatedEC225 model of the Super Pumaditched into the North Sea after

the pilots instruments indicated a loss ofoil in the main gearbox. On top of this,the emergency lubrication systemindicated it had failed, so the pilots wereforced to put the aircraft down on thesea. This was the second such ditching inless than six months and it sent alarmbells ringing across the entire offshoreindustry. In both incidents, May 10th and

October 22nd, the weather was extremelyfavourable and everyone was able to stepfrom the helicopter into their liferafts.On both occasions the incidents occurredrelatively close to land and to shipping inthe regions and the passengers and crewwere quickly recovered to a place ofsafety. Had we been experiencinganything like the ‘norm’, of 3-4 metreseas, 30-40 knots wind, and had theflights been out over open water awayfrom shore, these events could havequickly turned into tragedies. We gotlucky!Since the incidents the Step Change in

Safety sub-group, the Helicopter SafetySteering Group (HSSG) has met onseveral occasions to discuss the wayforward. The group is made up of allstakeholders which includes; oil and gasoperators and contractors, the helicopteroperators, the trade unions including thepilot’s union Balpa, along with RMT andUnite, the Civil Aviation Authority CAA,the HSE, Step Change, Oil & Gas UK andelected safety reps. Also involved in those

meetings have been representatives of theaircraft manufacturer, Eurocopter,including their President and ChiefExecutive, Dr Lutz Bertling.Our representative on the HSSG is our

Regional Organiser, Jake Molloy, who hasbeen involved in every meeting and hasreported to the Branch on thediscussions. Jake told the members;“There is a single collective position in the

HSSG which is that until the group issatisfied that a root cause has been identifiedand that steps have been taken to preventreoccurrence, the EC225’s will not return toservice.”The regulators will of course have a part

to play in the process of getting theEC225’s back in the air, but as thingsstand at the moment the CAA haveslapped an operational directive on thehelicopters preventing them from flyingoffshore. The regulator as part of theHSSG has confirmed that it will need tobe satisfied the potential for any furtherfailure has been fully addressed beforethey consider lifting their directive.The line taken by the HSSG and the

CAA reflects the fact that both the Mayand October incidents were very similarin nature. But more than this, it makes itclear that Eurocopter failed to identify aroot cause back in May before theyprovided assurances to the regulators andeveryone in the industry that they hadresolved the problem. This is a fact thatwas not missed by our rep on the HSSGand by many members who have been intouch. No one will allow that to happenagain, least of all Eurocopter who have

confirmed they will work closely with theHSSG and the industry generally torebuild confidence in the aircraft bydemonstrating they have identified theroot cause and taken the necessary stepsto prevent reoccurrence. To this endEurocopter have to their credit been veryopen and transparent, even bringing therelevant section of the gear box to theHSSG meetings and to the Step ChangeSafety rep event in November, where over150 delegates were able to see first handwhat had happened. Eurocopter havealso invited a group of stakeholders tovisit their factory in France and witnessthe testing regime they will be applyingin their search for answers on why theshaft failed.As we go to press the latest prediction

on when we might see the EC225’s backis the end of February 2013, but as ourRegional Organiser has stated in the press– “it will take as long as it takes”. In themeantime, Step Change has established anew temporary group, the Marine SafetySteering Group, who are looking at issuesaround the transfer of staff from vesselsusing “Frogs”, or “walk to work vessels”.The objective of the group is to establishguidance for the industry and workforce,and promote good practice in this areawhich may be used as a stop-gap untilthe EC225’s return.To keep up to date with what is going

on with this issue visit;www.stepchangeinsafety.net/about/HelicopterSafetySteeringGroup.cfmand you can contact the group at;hssg@stepchangeinsafety.net

Pumaproblemscontinue

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Step Change in Safety is the UKbased partnership with the remit tomake the UK the safest Oil and Gas

Exploration and Production province inthe world. Once achieved, they intend tomaintain the UK as the safest place towork. They are charged with achievingthis vision through cooperation,collaboration, and the sharing andadopting of best practices and learnings.This is all coordinated by the StepChange in Safety Leadership team(SCLT). The SCLT is comprised of arepresentative group of seniorleaders/directors of operator andcontractor companies, representatives ofthe offshore industry associations egCOTA, IMCA, IADC, Oil& Gas UK, SteveWalker Head of the Offshore SafetyDirectorate of the Health and SafetyExecutive and John Taylor from Uniteand Jake Molloy of RMT OILC.Around about a year ago I heard about

the decision of the SCLT to enhanceworkforce representation within theoffshore oil & gas industry by invitingSI971 Safety Reps to directly take part inthe leadership meetings. To make thisfeasible it was proposed that a pool of12 Safety Reps be available of whom twoor three would attend each meeting.Volunteers from the offshore Safety Repcommunity were sought to make up thispool, with each asked to explain a littleabout themselves and their experienceand what they felt they could contributeto the leadership team. The StepChange support team reviewed thesesubmissions then invited an initialgroup of 12 to a meeting where MartinEllins (KCA Deutag) and Ken Robertson(Shell UK) the co-chairs of the SCLTexplained their reasons for invitingSafety Reps to participate and gave us thechance to get to know each other.Within the 12 we have reps fromNorthern, Central and Southern NorthSea installations from both operatorsand contractors and from a wide varietyof trades and disciplines. The 12 of usagreed to keep in touch via emails andto meet up in Aberdeen on theafternoon of the day before each SCLTmeeting, where possible if we're unableto attend we've used a dial in facility tolet us take part. At each of thesemeetings the G12 (as good a collective

name as any we could come up with!)have decided on which of us areavailable for the next couple of SCLTmeetings and to discuss the agenda forthe following day and identify anyindustry wide issues we want to table fordiscussion at future SCLT meetings.Since November 2011, we've had three

of our number at each of the 6 SCLTmeetings that have taken place. We'veall been warmly received and ouropinions and thoughts on topics ofdiscussion have clearly been listened toand, on occasion, acted upon. In Marchwe made a presentation to the industryleadership day where we challenged theMD's of all the participating companiesto better support their Safety Reps (seehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzbjlB5cmxI&) As a direct result of one of thecomments made during thepresentation, Malcolm Webb (Chairmanof Oil & Gas UK) has made 10% ofplaces at all future O&G UK SafetySeminars free to Safety Reps. In JuneNicky Elphinstone and Kenny Leggathosted one of the booths at the StepChange Share Fair where they explainedthe Safety Rep role and discussed movesfor further developmental training forSafety Reps (their presentation can befound on the websitehttp://www.stepchangeinsafety.net/newsevents/events/previous-event.cfm/eventid/62 )In August we had a day long facilitated

get together where we were encouragedto think more about our role as safetyleaders and what that means both asindividuals and as a group. One of thethings discussed was the need to providebetter information about who the G12are, what we're doing and the best waysto communicate this. As a result there isnow a forum on the Step Changewebsite discussion arena(http://www.stepchangeinsafety.net/forum/index.php) dedicated to Safety Repissues, please use this if you want to passcomment on what we're doing or havesuggestions as to areas you think weshould be focussing on over the nextyear or two. You can also contact theG12 via the email addressesr@stepchangeinsafety.netAt the SCLT Planning day in October

we contributed to the discussions

around the areas Step Change should bedirecting their efforts and we wereheavily involved in the organisation ofthe Step Change Elected Safety RepsNetwork meeting held on November28th at the AECC. That event provided aplatform to come together as acommunity of safety reps. There was realand meaningful engagement anddialogue where delegates heard fromkeynote speakers on current bestpractice, industry challenges and also theadditional safety rep training that hasbeen developed by OPITO throughdirect workforce engagement withElected Safety Reps. Recent eventshowever dictated that considerable timewas given over to helicopter safety. As a result of Safety Reps within the

G12 moving on and the nature of theSI971 process (you can't really be on theG12 if you're no longer a Safety Rep!)there will be places coming available inthe near future. We're keen to ensurethat our voice at the highest level in theindustry is maintained so if you're aSafety Rep and feel you can make thecommitment to help maintain thisinfluence then please get in touch viathe email addressesr@stepchangeinsafety.net

Safety Reps and Step Change in Safety Steve Walton Safety Rep WGPSN Brent Charlie

“As ESRs, we are not trying to re-invent the wheel, we are justtrying to make it safe to use on ourjourney at work – through leadership,commitment, support and trust.”Terry O’Halloran

“I believe my commitment toand support of the Step ChangeLeadership Team can make adifference to the personnel whowork offshore and help make theUK offshore industry a safer place towork.”Chris Bennet

“Thank you to the Step Change Co-Chairs for wholly embracing workforce engagement in its truestsense by inviting members ofthe offshore workforce onto theLeadership Team. I look forward tosupporting and, where necessary,challenging Step Change to helpimprove safety offshore.”Steve Walton

and lawful. The issue wehave with these proposals isthis; should something besaid within these ‘grown upconversations’ that theemployee findsinappropriate, or theemployee feels that any partof the discussion has been afactor in their unfairdismissal, then the contentof the dialogue during theconversation is not permittedto be heard at a latertribunal, unless the employerhas discriminated against theemployee in some way.Also thanks to Beecroft,

the old adage ‘everythinghas a price’ now also applies to justice inthe workplace. The Government intendsto introduce fees for those who wish toraise an employment tribunal. Accordingto Mr Beecroft, “this would indeedsharply reduce the number of unjustifiedclaims.” From April this year employeeswill have to shell out £250 simply toregister a case. If the hearing is grantedthey will then be required to pay afurther £1000. Costs for witnesses will nolonger be covered and witness statementswill be accepted as read. Most worryinglythough are the proposals to renderclaimants liable for costs if they lose, upto £20,000! This is obviously beyond themeans of most working class people inthe UK.These are only some of the proposals

made in this vicious report, which alsoseeks to scrap TUPE protections and cutthe consultation period for redundancy. Itis clear that the coalition government isembarking on a savage attack of ourworking rights and together we need toensure that we do not become victims oftheir reprehensible actions.If ever there was a time that the

workforce needed the protection of atrade union; it is now. The RMT haspledged full support for its members,despite the changes to the law, andpotential massive costs to the unionwhich could exceed £1 million per year.Any fees incurred to our members will berefunded; the union will also continue topay witness expenses. So Mr BusinessSecretary, it will be business as usual forthe RMT and our members, and wecontinue as resolutely as always in pursuitof fairness and justice at the workplace.

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Beecroft Report release –RMT pledges tribunal support Regular readers of

Blowout will be awareof the ‘Beecroft Report’,

the shocking content ofwhich has been extensivelyreported upon in previousissues. The report wascommissioned bygovernment as part of theirprogramme of cuts toemployment rights, andalthough it was neverintended to be made public,the Draconian proposalscontained within its pageswere gradually leaked to thepress and has forcedgovernment to release thereport into the public domain.Responding to the publication of the

full report, Business Secretary Vince Cablesaid, “We are today publishing MrBeecroft's final report as submitted to ourdepartment to dispel some of the mythsthat have become associated with thereport.” [Myths? Is that like the one aboutthe Liberal Democrats being an equal partnerin this coalition Government?]Cable conceded, "Because of on-going

interest we reached a view that it is in thepublic interest to allow people to haveaccess to its content.” If Vince Cable andhis cronies thought that Trade unionssuch as the RMT would happily acceptthe changes being recommended withoutprotest, then they really are asdisillusioned as they are incompetent. The rationale behind the changes,

according to Beecroft, is that, “much ofemployment law and regulation impedesthe search for competitiveness,” he goeson to state that laws and regulations “...simply exacerbate the national problemof high unemployment.”The billionaire venture capitalist

recommends that the Governmentembark upon a programme of cuts toemployment laws aimed at reducingrights for employees to increase‘flexibility’ for employers. Central to thegovernment’s proposals are plans toweaken unfair dismissal rights. Beecroftconcedes in his report that it is,“politically unacceptable to simply doaway with the concept of unfairdismissal”. Instead he suggests a systemwhich, “allows an employer to dismissanyone without giving a reason providingthey are compensated,” would beacceptable.

As previously reported in Blowout, fromApril 2012 the qualifying period forunfair dismissal cases was extended from1-year to 2-years. As a result of thischange some 2.7 million employees willnow lose out on their unfair dismissalrights. In comparison to the rest of the‘western world’ the UK already has verylimited dismissal rights, with only theUSA and Canada having weakeremployment protection legislation. Thegovernment has said that that theselighter regulations will promote jobcreation, but this is a view withoutevidence in support. In fact since 1999when the qualifying period was lastreduced to 1 year, more than 1.75 millionjobs were created in the UK. Thegovernment argues that by making iteasier to fire staff, it will make it easier foremployers to hire staff!It is certainly vital for continued

improvements in safety offshore and inother high hazard industries that all newworkers are aware of the risks of the joband are confident that they can raise anyconcerns without fear of reprisals. Thegovernment proposals on employmentrights only serve to fuel a culture of fearin this respect.The Government is also planning to

consult on proposals for so called ‘grownup or protected conversations’. They saythis will allow employers to have frankand open conversations with employeesabout their performance, conduct, or evenretirement. As a trade union we agree thatit is good for employers and employees toenter into constructive dialogue at theworkplace, but we believe that theseconversations should be fair, transparent

Adrian Beecroft – The Billionaire Tax Dodging Loan Shark in his Aston Martin

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Back in July the Norwegian Government stepped in andforced an ending to a strike by Norwegian offshoreworkers, after oil companies in the sector threatened

direct action. In a move that would have cut off Norway’s topsource of tax revenue the oil companies were poised to shutdown all production of hydrocarbons unless the governmentused an emergency resolution to force the strikers back towork. This was the first industry wide strike since 2004 andwith 16 days of action it was the longest strike in the history ofthe sector. The strike kicked off when state owned oil company Statoil

withdrew an existing retirement plan which awarded itsemployees what the Norwegians call “gavepensioner”(favourable early retirement) at the age of 62 (if they wish totake it), instead of the standard retirement age in Norway of67. Statoil tried to trim these benefits after the governmentimplemented pension reforms throughout the country. TheNorwegian Trade Unions, Industry Energi, SAFE and Ledernewere angered by the move. They rightly claimed these werebenefits fairly won for their members, which were now beingsnatched from them at a time whentop management were being givengenerous retirement packages -including the luxury of still beingable to retire with a full pension atthe age of 62! “We are not going to allow

employers to rob us of our pensions”, said Leif Sande ofNorwegian Offshore Trade Union Industry Energi, “That is whywe are striking.”The unions initially pulled 708 of their members off the job,

including employees of Statoil, BP, and catering company ESS.This led to a production shut down of the state owned Heidrun,and Oseberg fields - cutting Norway’s oil production by 13%.When the unions threatened to escalate the strike even further,with possibly 5,895 more workers downing tools, the oilindustry employers’ organisation OLF, threatened to impose a“lock out”. A lock out is rarely seen in labour conflicts inNorway and is seen as a last ditch response by industry whenlengthy strikes have no settlement in sight. It meant theoperators would not allow anyone to work on theirinstallations and this would have included 7,000 offshoreworkers not directly involved with the original dispute. Such amove would have prevented these workers from receiving payor strike benefits and risked dividing the workforce. The unionsinvolved in the dispute have stated that even thoughgovernment intervention has taken place, they will not budgefrom their original stance and the matter is sure to raise itshead again in future.The head of OLF, Gro Braekken admitted on the 12th day of

the strike that they were reverting to the lock-out tactic to forcethe Government to step in and order the strikers back to work;“We’re resorting to a lock-out because we are in a deadlocksituation” she told the Norwegian media. “We have tried andtried to reach an agreement with the unions …and we want toend it now.” This move was blasted by offshore union leaderswho called it an “abuse of power”, and an “overreaction”. TheNorwegian Left-Centre Labour party led Government said theywere reluctant to step in and force an end to the strike andcriticised OLF’s actions as “irresponsible,” adding that theissues should have been resolved around the negotiation table. However, just 30 minutes before the lock out was due to

commence, Labour Minister Hanne Bjurstorm imposed

compulsory arbitration, giving theoil companies exactly what theywanted. “It would have beenirresponsible to let the conflictcontinue”, said Bjurstrom, before

stating that “too many innocent by-standers” would have beenaffected by the proposed actions of the employers’organisation. Unions said they had been let down by theGovernment, especially as the issue of pensions is viewed asone of “principle” which the National Wages Board cannotadjudicate upon. This means the issue would once again behanded back to the individual companies to deal with and thesituation would be back to square one, except that this time theworkers that had been on strike would be prohibited fromtaking industrial action, as the compulsory arbitration processimposes an automatic strike ban for two years.A National Mediator, the three trade unions representing the

workers, and representatives for their employers met inGovernment offices on July 4th, but failed to reach anagreement. Hilde-Marite Rystt of SAFE said the will to negotiateon the part of OLF was “microscopic”. The unions hadproposed using an industry welfare fund called “OljearbeidernesSosiale Ordninger” - a pot of £40m set aside by the unions as a“social benefits for oil workers” fund, to cover the cost ofcontinuing to allow oil workers to retire at 62.“It is absolutely possible to use these funds, without it

costing the employers a cent,” Rysst fumed. The ManagingDirector of OLF, Gro Braekken, scoffed at the idea, saying thatit would be a “violation in principle” of new state pensionreforms. She then claimed that offshore workers were already‘pension winners’ in Norway because of their high wages, andit would be “wrong and unfair to all other workers”. Braekkenconcluded, “We’re back at the starting point”. When it was obvious the talks were in deadlock, the

Government stepped in and used emergency powers which givethem the right to force an end to a strike where they believethat safety may be compromised, or national interests could beharmed. The government made the offshore strikers return towork. “I had to make this decision to protect Norway’s’ vitalinterests”, Labour Minister Hanne Bjustroem said.Leif Sande, leader of IE said, “It is very sad. The strike is over”.

“It is very sad. The strike is over”, Leif Sande, leader of IE seen here between(left) Gro Braekken, of the OLF and (right) Labour Minister, Hanne Bjurstromfollowing the announcement of the government intervention

Longest strike in Norway ended

The issue of pensions is viewed as one of “principle”

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The findings of a Government appointed committee of oiland gas experts is likely to cause future trouble foroffshore workers and unions in Norway. The panel

including oil company heavies from Shell, Centrica, Maerskand Statoil, along with the Petroleum Directorate andPetroleum Safety Authority reps, found the cost of drilling awell in the sector is about 40% more expensive than drilling asimilar well in the UK. They called for changes to safetyregulation and working practices that will bring expendituremore in line with the UK sector. This prompted the only unionrepresentative appointed to the panel to walk out in protest.With such a top heavy panel, it’s little surprise that an

increase in oil production was at the top of the agenda, as‘prospector fever’ takes a grip of the region following somehuge discoveries in Norwegian Arctic waters recently. Findssuch as the Johan Sverdrup deposit, which could hold as muchas 3.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent, together with asustained high oil price, have prompted investments to reachNOK96.3 billion (£1.1 billion) in the region throughout thisyear. Norway’s oil production has been in decline for a decade,falling 5%, and 4% over the past 2 years respectively. The report released in August recognises that the cost of

drilling has doubled over the past ten years and calls for a lessregulated system that will allow rigs to enter the Norwegiansector from the UK with greater ease. Currently it can costsomewhere in the region of $100 million to get a unit ready forwork in Norway after it has been operating in the UKCS. TheReport also claims that regulations such as those relating tonoise and lighting are unnecessary and ultimately calls toreduce drilling costs by 30%, which is estimated will saveoperators NOK500 billion (£55 billion) “over time,” and openup marginal fields.The panel's leader, Eivind Reiten, told Dow Jones Newswires;

"The production on the Norwegian continental shelf is in aheavy fall, and we have serious trouble with the cost curve onthe shelf." He warned of a, "grave danger" that vast resourcesmay remain in the ground forever, at a loss to society, becauseof, "unnecessarily expensive" production.

Changes to Working PracticesThe report cites the current 2 weeks on – 4 off working

pattern enjoyed by most Norwegian workers as the mainreason for the cost differential, claiming that personnel costsare $50,000 to $75,000 more on the day rate for a Norwegianrig than in the U.K. Understandably, Norwegian union leaders

are outraged that the panel has called for an increase inworking time more in line with the UK drilling sectors 2 on - 2off working pattern, as well as a relaxation of the current wageregime - offshore workers in Norway are currently the highestpaid in the world taking home annual salaries of $183k onaverage. Old friend of the former OILC, and second deputy leader of

union SAFE, Roy Erling Furre said, “The current system worksfine”…It sure does Roy!

Death Risk Four Times HigherThe unions have warned that safety must not be sacrificed to

reduce costs. Commenting on the proposal to reduce safetyregulation in the sector, Roy Erling Furre said, “The death risk isfour times higher in the U.K. sector than on the Norwegianshelf,” and added that the panel's proposals were, “a seriousthreat,” to Norway's health, environment and safety rules,before concluding, “a harmonization between Norway and theU.K. worries me, especially in the wake of Deepwater Horizon.”There is a stark difference between the current UK safety

regime and the MMS led farce that was in place when Macondoexploded, but we understand what Roy means. We mustalways consider what took place recently in the Gulf of Mexicobefore we look towards compromising on safety. In this lightperhaps the most poignant comments on the matter belong toKeith Jones, father to the late Gordon Jones, a Mud Engineerkilled on the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon the night it exploded.As American investment websites buzz about the potentialinvestment opportunities in Norway, he passes comment onthe website, seekingalpha.com, warning…“These ‘oil and gas experts’ want to ease the safety rules?

Really? They evidently think oil rigs are just hopelessly boundby ‘safety rules’ and can't possibly find any oil.Perhaps in Norway these ‘experts’ didn't hear anything about

the Transocean Deepwater Horizon. Well, I did. My son wasone of the 11 men who were killed in the explosion. Safetyrules sure didn't keep BP from finding oil, did it? The oil BPfound almost covered the Gulf of Mexico.My message to these experts is this: If you think it's such a

good idea to ease safety rules, make sure you're on the oil rigwhen that happens. Or see to it that one of your children is.Trust me; that’s even worse”.Knowing the sacrifices our colleagues across the line have

given over the years in order to achieve all they have, we foreseebig trouble in the sector if any attempt is made to erode thesafety regime, or the working patterns they presently enjoy.Norwegian offshore workers may be the best paid in the world,for certain they enjoy the best work-life balance, but the truth isthey deserve it more than any sector in the world; after all theyhave fought harder and longer than anyone for all they have.Great hardship and personal sacrifice has been suffered duringa long history of industrial action to improve the terms andconditions of those coming into the sector in future, and it wasthe ultimate sacrifices in terms of human life that developed asafety regime that’s second to none in the offshore world. Theworkforce has consistently shown great courage and solidaritywith the unions acting collectively and always sticking togetherfor the greater good of the workforce when it’s required;despite sometimes having extreme differences in political view. The report will now be discussed at a public hearing in

Norway and we expect we’ll be reporting developments infuture editions of Blowout.

Pressure on for Norwegian workers

Statoil’s Oseberg Field Centre in the Norwegian Sector

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Shetland memorial for air tragediesAmemorial to aircrew and

passengers who lost their lives inoil related air accidents is to be

installed beside Shetland’s main airport.The memorial is dedicated to those

who lost their lives in four accidentsinvolving aircraft and crews based inShetland, including the 1979 Dan Airtragedy and the 1986 Chinookhelicopter accident. On the 31st of July 1979 Dan-Air Flight

0034, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748turboprop aircraft came to grief on an oilindustry charter flight from SumburghAirport to Aberdeen. The crash occurredfollowing the aircraft's failure to take off,resulting in 17 deaths.In 1986 on the 6th of November an accident involving a

Boeing Chinook helicopter occurred with the loss of 45passengers and crew. The helicopter was on approach to land atSumburgh Airport returning workers from the Brent oilfield. At2.5 miles from the runway the helicopter suffered catastrophicmechanical failure.The memorial will also commemorate those who lost their

lives in two North Sea tragedies – the Brent Spar platform andCormorant Alpha accidents.A Sikorsky S61 helicopter transferring oil workers in the Brent

Oil Field, 112nm north east of Sumburgh airport, crashedwhilst landing on the Brent Spar installation on the 25th July1990 with 6 fatalities and a Eurocopter Super Puma helicoptercrashed alongside the Cormorant Alpha platform on the 14thMarch 1992, with the loss of 11 lives.A site for the memorial has been identified close to the

airport terminal in Sumburgh and a design concept has beenagreed as shown in the artists’ impression. The horseshoeshaped stone structure will be dedicated to the earlier twoaccidents, and two bespoke hardwood benches constructed inmemory of the Brent Spar and Cormorant Alpha accidents. Anatural stone wall will surround the area and aninterpretation/information board will stand at the entrance.A small committee has started raising funds for the

construction and upkeep of the memorial, as well as applyingfor planning permission and sourcing local contractors toconstruct the site. The memorial is due to be unveiled in late May 2013 and the

committee are looking for survivors, relatives or anyoneaffected by the accidents in order to make contact, inform themof the project, and if possible invite them to attend theopening ceremony. Donations can be made, contact made and more information

on the site obtained online via a website dedicated to theproject - www.sumburghairportmemorial.co.uk or viafacebook - www.facebook.com/sumburghairportmemorial.Blowout can report that our Regional Organiser, Jake Molloy

has been invited to attend the opening ceremony. Jake hasprovisionally accepted the invitation, indicating he would behonoured to attend on behalf of our offshore members, andwe await confirmation from head office in London regardingJake’s involvement. Many members will recall some or all ofthe events which the memorial is dedicated to and not leastJake Molloy. He went to the Brent Field in the aftermath of theChinook tragedy and as a direct consequence of it. He was stillthere when the Brent Spar accident occurred and was on the

Brent Delta helideck the night of the Cormorant tragedy,actually servicing the helicopter before it headed for CormorantAlpha and disaster. The Offshore Energy Branch can think ofno one more fitting to attend on behalf of our offshoremembers.

The memorial is due to be unveiled inlate May 2013 and the committee arelooking for survivors, relatives oranyone affected by the accidents inorder to make contact, inform them ofthe project, and if possible invite themto attend the opening ceremony.

OBITUARYWe remember our colleagues who sadly passed away since our

last edition of Blowout and the Offshore Energy Branch would

like to extend our heartfelt condolences to their respective

families;

Peter Young - Amec; Charles Farmerey – WGPSN; Joe Coleman

WGPSN; Norman Macleod WGPSN; Peter Atkinson - Cape

Offshore; Stephen Hood - BP Oil Ltd and David Rowland –

WGPSN.

[The employers listed are those registered in the union’s data

base, we apologise if these had altered without our knowledge]

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ANEW standard for offshore safetyrep training which aims toadvance the critical role of elected

safety representatives (ESRs) inminimising the risk of accidents andimproving safety is to be rolled out inthe North Sea.Offshore workers are elected by their

workmates under the OffshoreInstallations (Safety Representatives andSafety Committees) Regulations 1989.Independent to management, they caninvestigate potential hazards, dangerousoccurrences, complaints and the causesof accidents as well as conductinspections of installations.While a basic introductory course

already exists, this new advancedstandard aims to support greaterworkforce involvement by giving ESRsaccess to training that helps themdevelop their effectiveness andconfidence.Four, two-day pilot courses will be

delivered in Aberdeen by trainingprovider DNV in February and March2013. Volunteer delegates will get thechance to trial the latest development insafety training for the North Seaworkforce before it is rolled out to over2,000 ESR’s across the industry.The drive for the new courses came

from the Offshore Industry AdvisoryCommittee’s (OIAC) WorkforceInvolvement Group, strongly supportedby the Trade Unions, Oil and Gas UK(OGUK) and Step Change in Safety. Thestandard was developed by ESR’sthemselves, supported by industry skillsbody OPITO.It’s been a long haul getting to this

stage but as you’ll see on pages 10 & 11we are just about there. We’ve beenpromoting the idea for years, but the2007 HSE initiative “KP3 Asset Integrity”really kicked things off in earnest whenthe report compiled by the HSEidentified and emphasised the need forgreater workforce involvement across theindustry. The OIAC sub group WorkforceInvolvement Group (WIG) picked thesubject up and over the following yearsthe group has worked the idea throughall the various committees of HSE,OGUK and Step Change etc.RMT’s Regional Organiser, Jake Molloy,

who sits on OIAC and has been part ofthe WIG team virtually since it wasestablished, said;“I am delighted we are just about there

with this initiative as these courses havethe potential to significantly influencesafety performance across the industry.

As a former offshore safety rep I used toparticipate in platform inspections andconduct investigations and the like alongwith my fellow safety reps. That wasback in the early 90’s and I believe ourinput made a difference, it certainlychanged the ‘management style’ of manysupervisors who often felt they werecaught between ‘a rock and a hard place’when trying to deliver on productivitywhile improving safety performance. Fastforward to 2008 when I asked a group of106 safety reps – ‘how many of you haveconducted an inspection or carried outan investigation’ – and I was shockedthat only one rep had ever used their“Functions” and “Powers” set out inRegulations 16 & 17 of the OffshoreInstallations (Safety Representatives andSafety Committees) Regulations 1989.“The courses are not mandatory, as in

the safety reps cannot be forced toattend any of the four courses. What wein the WIG team were trying to do wasprovide a ‘tool-box’ for safety reps whowanted to exercise their powers andfunctions and become more involved inday to day safety matters. During thedebates and discussions around this ideawe’ve seen great examples of safety repswho effectively ‘police’ the installationoperators, ensuring they are complyingwith performance standards andverification requirements and so on.We’ve also heard from the other end ofthe scale though, where reps are in placevirtually in name only and are oftenseen as management puppets. Other repsdon’t get involved because they fear they

don’t understand systems or else theysimply don’t have the confidence. Itreally is a mixed bag. “We have to acknowledge everyone is

different and every rep will determinefor themselves how ‘involved’ they wantto be, that will remain the position. Wecannot force people to get moreinvolved and we’re not, we are simplyproviding additional training which willallow the reps to become more involvedshould they choose to be. We wouldthough suggest that where reps take upthese courses they will not only beimproving their individual abilities tobecome involved and influence day today thinking, they will also improve theability of the workforce generally to doso. “The final piece in the jigsaw is

obviously the support of managementby promoting the courses and allowingthe reps to attend. We would argue onWIG this should be a ‘given’ and thatany management who resist this trainingclearly aren’t supporting the means ofimproving safety performance. Reps whomeet resistance should let WIG know orelse let me know personally, I’d welcomethe chance to have a conversation withthese managers!”We carry all the details about these

courses on the following pages. Ifhowever you need more information orwould like our support in making arequest for the training please contactthe Offshore Energy Branch Secretary on01224 210118 or else email;oilc.rmt.secretary@gmail.com

New Safety Rep training – at last!Jake Molloy, Regional Organiser

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To register for these courses or to get more information about them:

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email: nichola.dickson.reid@dnv.com or tel: 01224 335115

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12 RMT targets The Biennial Offshore grades

conference was held at theApex Hotel Dundee in May

2012, and was opened with aformal address from GeneralSecretary Bob Crow. In hisaddress Bob took the chance toreflect on the frustrationsexpressed by many members ofour failure as an organisation toachieve collective bargainingrights in certain sectors where wehad significant membership. Bobsaid he understood this feelingand said that we, as a union,were working towards achievingwhat our offshore membersshould rightfully have, especiallyas we have more membersoffshore than other unions whoretain the right to sit at certaintables. Bob assured the audienceRMT had tried to achieve this, wehad written to other unions andto the STUC, but nothing and nosupport were their respectivereplies. “It is my aim for the unionto secure membership and securerecognition” Bob told thedelegates and assured them thatas a union the RMT wouldcontinue to fight and find ways toachieve this for the offshore sector.So have we met our target? Well the

recognition applications have gone in asBob told us they would, but as ourRegional Organiser predicted at the time,these have since been met with acomplaint from Unite. Once again wewill seek a meeting with Unite to discussthese applications and the North Seaagreements generally and we will updateyou accordingly.The General Secretary touched on the

Working Time case saying it had been amassive blow for us. He said it had comeas no surprise though, especially whenthe Law Lords implied that offshoreworkers were just looking for more timeto ‘holiday in Torremolinos’, and that noconsideration was given to occupationalhealth and the effects of long hours andfatigue. Bob reflected on the state of theeconomy and working rights generallyand asked the rhetorical question; “Arewe going to make things better for our kidsand our grandkids? As a Trade Union westand for values so we must!”Steve Todd, National Secretary, then

addressed conference stating he believedthe offshore industry is largely

members views heard and someof their suggestions have beentaken onboard and implemented.One such example was the movefor more robust training for safetyreps, which we have beenpushing for years. Target met? As reported

elsewhere in this edition ofBlowout, the new raft of trainingfor safety reps is being rolled outas this edition of Blowout goes topress.Back in May Jake showed a

DVD of trials using the DaconScoop, a device which some inthe industry have suggested maybe used as a primary method ofrescue and recovery. The gasps inthe room were audible as thescreen showed dummies in thesea being scooped up in a type ofgiant net, being thrown aroundthen battered into the side of therescue vessel. A lifeboat beingfolded in two as the scoopclumsily lifted it onto the deck,the dummies inside being tossedaround and squashed. RMT andBALPA (and more recently Unite)have voiced their serious

objections about the use of this deviceand questioned whether it provides“good prospects of recovery”. The debate on this issue continues and

your representatives continue toinfluence industry thinking in thisrespect.The Regional Organiser finished by

telling conference about exciting plansfor the OILC branch office to berelocated to a new property. This newbuilding in the centre of Aberdeenwould house all sectors of the union;Offshore, Transport and Shipping. Therewould be provision for training and aresource centre on site for members. Hesaid we hoped to provide training andassist members on the day before theygo offshore or the day they arrive home,to avoid using too much of membersprecious time at home. Jake said thatthis would be a great step forward forthe offshore branch and for the union asa whole.Target met? Look out for news in the

coming weeks about this!

Resolutions Of the resolutions raised during the

event we can report on the progress of

unorganised because of the selfimportance of the unions. Steve said weneed to move forward, and that all theunions must put their issues aside andwork together. The RMT are committedto this in order to achieve the best dealspossible for all union members. “I amsick and tired of trying to get this together,”he said, when explaining he had triedcountless times to get fellow offshoreunions to start up the inter-unioncommittee meetings again, and asked,“What are we to do? The time has come toshow that this union is the one willing tofight for the rights of the offshore worker.”Targets met? We can report that the

Inter Union Offshore Oil Committee(IUOOC) has at last come together andwill meet formally for the first timeunder the group’s updated constitutionat the end of February 2013. The unionsinvolved are; RMT; Unite; GMB; Balpaand Nautilus International.Regional Organiser, Jake Molloy then

addressed our BGM with his report.Jake spoke of the many committees

that he now sits on, such as; TheWorkforce Involvement Group and theStep Change in Safety Leadership Teamand how he believes that by attendingthe meetings we are at least getting our

Bob Crow, General Secretary

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those affecting all ofyou;

Resolution 9 - SelfEmploymentLiabilty; Big issuessurrounding thistopic as so manycompanies nowrequire staff to goself-employed, suchas contractors onApache operationswho are pushing thisin the Forties andBeryl Fields.Consensus amongstattendees was thisapproach isunacceptable as itmakes it easy foremployers to get rid of you, hold youaccountable for anything that may gowrong and also allows for different levelsof pay for people doing the same job.We continue to raise this as a matter of

concern with the industry.

Resolution 11 - Fitness to Work -Medical Termination; This resolutioncentered mainly around the issue of themedical assessment, with concerns andclaims that in some cases it was an easyway for employers to dump employeesthey no longer wanted. Conferencecalled for a review of the guidance.

Emergency Resolution 4 - Fitness toWork - Medical Certificates; Membershad reported difficulties with their GP’swhen, after being certified as fit to returnto work, they are subsequently found“unfit” for work by their companydoctors. Conference was asked tosupport a call for the company doctorsto be the “issuing authority” for sicknesscertificates and avoid ‘no pay’ situations.

Emergency Resolution 5 - Fitness toWork -Medical Reviews; Several caseshave been reported of members beingdenied a medical certificate by theiremployer’s medical advisors, even whenindependent consultants have indicatedthere were no risks associated with theworkers health. It was argued the onlyway to rectify this problem is theimplementation of a truly “independentreview”, to allow members the chance tolegally challenge the opinion ofcompany doctors, whose opinion

employers are legally entitled to rely on.

Emergency Resolution 6 - Fitness toWork - Emergency Review; A number ofmembers report having theiremployment put at risk for failingincreasingly stringent medical tests aspart of their emergency response duties,which have been allocated to them aspart of their contractual obligations. It isnot their primary role or function. It wasargued a Mechanical Technician is justthat, he is not a fireman and why shouldhe have to undergo a test that is almostidentical to that of a fireman?Conference argued these fitness testswere too rigorous, especially for some ofour older members.Conference called on the Regional

Organiser’s, National Secretary andGeneral Secretary to lobby industry forthese changes to protect our members.We can report that Bob Crow has writtento Oil & Gas UK and we will reportfurther on these matters in futureeditions.

Resolution 13 - Immigration andEmployment of Non-EEA Nationals;There was a call for tighter controls toprevent social dumping and exploitationof foreign nationals on the UKcontinental shelf. Conference heardthere was over £240 billion in operatorspockets earmarked for decommissioningwork, which is estimated could take 30years to complete. Conference was told ifwe did not support this resolution thenwe should be aware that companiescould bring in a barge full of foreign

nationals, who willbe paid a pittance, tocomplete this work.Steve Todd advised ofa campaign withinRMT regarding thisissue and asked theoffshore members tosupport this, whichwas agreedunanimously.

EmergencyResolution 8 - Healthand Safety - Permitto Work; Anincreasing number ofmembers hadexpressed concernabout fulfilling therole of “Performing

Authority” for offshore work permits,specifically where they are being askedto do so in a discipline they are notcompetent (e.g. Rigger covering a permitfor electrical work etc.) We believe thatpermits should only be in your sphere ofwork. Say no if you feel uncomfortablebeing a PA and the union will supportyou all the way was the message fromour leaders and organisers. Delegateswere advised of the legal position of apermit and the personal liability. If yoursignature is on the document you couldpotentially be held culpable shouldsomething go wrong. Conference called on our Regional

Organisers, National Secretary andGeneral Secretary to lobby the industryto ensure that workers who areinstructed to be “PerformingAuthorities” can only be asked to fulfillthis role in operations they are fullycompetent in. General Secretary BobCrow has written to Oil & Gas UK inthis respect and we will report further inthe next edition.

As our 2012 conference came to aclose the message was clear; RMT iswilling to fight for you, but you must bewilling to fight alongside your fellowworkmate and to do that you must getyour workmate into the union. We muststand together, as workers and unions,united to face the troubles that surely lieahead for workers across this industry.We fight to ensure fairness and justicewhile delivering respect and thetreatment each and every one of usdeserves. As can be seen, RMT continuesto push for those targets.

being met?Steve Todd, National Secretary

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In February 2009, officers from the InformationCommissioners Office (ICO) raided a small office inDroitwich, West Midlands. They found Ian Kerr, a 66 year

old man who was custodian of a database of informationand a system of personal files. These files held informationon the activities of Trade Unionists and Health & Safetyactivists that the privacy watchdog would seize underwarrant. Amongst these 3,213 files, ICO officers alsouncovered dossiers held on current Members of Parliament,Journalists, and as you’ll see in “Blacklist, what blacklist?”,at least one respected Academic.

The Consulting AssociationIan Kerr ran The Consulting Association (CA) and illegally

maintained a blacklist for big British employers including atleast 44 of our biggest construction companies. At some pointKerr also supplied and/or maintained a similar blacklist foroffshore employers. Companies involved each paid £3,000annually for membership to the CA. Much of the informationheld on individuals was passed to Ian Kerr by the membercompanies themselves and he managed the hub of aninformation sharing network. He also boosted the content ofthe files himself by extensively spying on individuals overmany years. The ICO raid also revealed the extent to which theblacklist was used. 40,000 requests for files were made by 23major construction employers throughout 2008 alone. Invoicespaid for the services of the Consulting Association were alsouncovered amounting to more than £600,000.

A Jail Term and/or Unlimited FineKerr pleaded guilty to charges made under the Data

Protection Act at Knutsford Crown Court on 16th July 2009.Despite facing a jail term and/or unlimited fine, the Judge tookinto account his ‘limited resources’ and fined him anoutrageous £5,000. At the time of his sentencing Kerr’s solicitorsaid his client’s only income was the state pension,additionally, he only received an annual salary of around£46,000 when he served as the CA’s spy. Exactly where the restof the £600,000 fees went isn’t quite clear. Judge Steven Clark recognised that Kerr was not the only one

responsible for the blacklist as it wouldn’t be possible withoutthe financing of ‘Big Business’. Investigation has revealed thatmember companies appear to have been actively involved ingoverning the CA’s activities and designated persons (generallyHR Managers) gathered at annual and quarterly meetings. “It isunfair to put the blame entirely on you. You were clearlyemployed to run the organisation,” he said, adding that thecompanies paying Kerr to; “create a list of people who shouldnot be employed in the construction industry” were aware ofthe duty to obey privacy laws.

Legal ShortcomingsThe Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, said

he could only prosecute Kerr for failing to declare the existenceof the database to the public and not registering as a DataController. He did not have the legal powers to go beyondissuing a formal warning to the companies involved, and noother line of prosecution lay open in terms of the law as itstood at the time. The case therefore highlighted massive legalshort comings. At the time of the ICO raid it wasn’t technicallyillegal to keep a blacklist of employees. Provision had beenmade to outlaw the practice with the introduction of theEmployment Relations Act 1999, but the blacklisting clause was

never formally brought forward. Government at the time saidthere was no evidence that blacklisting existed and this wasreaffirmed when it carried out a consultation in 2003. TheEmployment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 wererushed through parliament and as of 2 March 2010 it has beenunlawful to; compile, use, sell or supply blacklists containing detailsof people who are, or have been, trade union members or who aretaking part, or have taken part, in trade union activities where theblacklist may be used by employers to discriminate in relation torecruitment or the treatment of existing workers.

The BlacklistUnion member, Michael Anderson, discovered in his file a

note saying that the union Amicus had recommended he not beemployed. Several of those who have received their files haveraised concerns that information appears to have come fromunion officials. Anderson said; “I have written and asked Unitethe union to conduct an independent inquiry into who ‘ofAmicus’ was responsible for supplying information that I was‘not recommended’ by my own trade union. I have received noreply. I have also asked how other privileged detailedinformation about which members attended union branchmeetings and discussions held at branch fell into the hands ofThe Consulting Association. I have received no plausible reply.”Those that raised Health and safety concerns were also

targeted, such as Engineer, Dave Smith. He told HazardsMagazine in an interview that his entire 36 page file related tosafety concerns he had raised, claiming it contained; “page afterpage of concerns about asbestos, near fatal accidents, and godawful toilet facilities.” [Sounds like more than one of the drillingrigs or platforms we know of operating in the North Sea! Ed]

MI5 CollusionDave Smith’s case turned out to be pivotal in the scandal.

After seeing the file held on him he took construction giantCarillion to an employment tribunal, but lost his claim forcompensation because he was an agency worker not directlyemployed by the giant – a perverse ruling only too familiar tothe RMT and former OILC, and a clear demonstration of howjustice is manipulated by big industry in the private sector.Nothing new then, but evidence heard at his unsuccessfulemployment tribunal did expose Police and MI5 involvementin the blacklisting. In an interview about Dave’s case with theObserver, ICO Investigations Manager, David Clancy said;“there is information on the Consulting files that I believecould only be supplied by the police or the security services.The information was so specific and it contained in effectoperational information that wouldn’t have formed anythingother than a police record,” he said.

The Economic LeagueThe link with MI5 and the Police runs back to the days of a

very similar agency called the Economic League, which Kerr alsohad key involvement in before it was wound up in 1993following an exposé by the media into its flawed operations.Like the CA, the Economic League was run and funded by bigbusiness and was dedicated to opposing what they saw assubversion and action against free enterprise. They suppliedBritish security services with information on suspected IRA cellmembers working on UK building sites in the 1970’s & 80’s,and held a blacklist of over 40,000 files of workers suspected ofassociation with certain left wing groups, ranging from theCommunist Party of Great Britain to the Campaign for Nuclear

Tales from the ‘Shady Side’

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Disarmament. Following the exposé in 1993 and subsequentquestions that were raised in Parliament, many EconomicLeague operatives went to ground and the 40,000 files wentwith them. Ian Kerr was one of these operatives. Michael Noar,former Director General of the Economic League, told TheGuardian that Kerr had worked for the organisation spying ontrade unions, claiming he was a ‘key guy’.

The ‘OILC’ FileIt is only through discovery of Prof Woolfson’s file held by

the CA that we know of the OILC blacklist, as specific referenceis made to it within his file. (See next article) However thereferenced ‘OILC file’ was not among documents seized by ICOwhen it carried out its raid in 2009. Other files held onindividuals seized by the ICO make similar references to aseparate ‘RMT file’ which specifically targeted our colleagues inthe railway industry. It’s most likely that the OILC file was firstmanaged by the Economic League in the late 1980’s, and it’sjust as likely that it’s now been destroyed. Kerr will have eithercarried through the file with him from the Economic League orhe will have still had access to it. The file, (which must have beenas a fat as a bankers bonus) certainly would have made for someinteresting reading!

Public InquiryWe echo the MP’s who have called on Government to hold a

Public Inquiry into the scandal. Leading the call is RMTParliamentarian and Labour MP, John McDonnell, who firstprotested against blacklisting in Parliament a decade ago, hesaid; “I am outraged at the systematic abuse of people’s rights.This has destroyed people’s lives, broken up families, ensuredthat people have not been able to earn a living. It hasdevastated people year after year, and nobody has listened tous. No one has been willing to believe the extent to whichthere has been collusion between police, security services andcompanies. It is all about the ability of companies to exploitworkers and destroy anybody who stands up against them.”Home Secretary, Theresa May, has resisted calls for the

Inquiry and instead is steering the matter towards theIndependent Police Complaints Commission. We are verysceptical of this approach and at the very least would hope that

any investigation is performed independently of the Policethemselves, given the potential extent of their involvement.The Scottish Parliament and police have also been pressed byMSP’s to reveal what they know about collusion. This pastsummer saw the victims’ most successful retaliatory campaignyet; a recent High Court claim against construction giant SirRobert McAlpine (the most active former member of theConsulting Association) may result in huge compensationpay-outs being awarded to blacklisted workers. The claim wasmade by 86 construction workers for ‘Tort of unlawfulconspiracy’. The claimants are part of support network calledthe Blacklist Support Group, and will be represented by Sir HughTomlinson QC - Barrister to the stars in the recent News of theWorld phone hacking scandal.Larger claims are expected to be as much as £300,000 with

the average claim sitting somewhere in the region of £20,000,which values the current cases in excess of £17million. Theminimum award under the new blacklisting regulationsintroduced in 2010 is £5,000 (however the regulations cannotbe applied retrospectively). As this is the first wave ofclaimants, out of a possible 3,200 blacklisted workers, thetotal pay-outs that building firms could face exceeds awhopping £600million. UK civil rights organization, Liberty,is also demanding the prosecution of all firms whoparticipated in the blacklist and are urging the ICO to makethe blacklist public. Liberty is also considering launching ajudicial review at the high court in London to get the filesopened up if they cannot persuade the Commissioner to doso. The ICO said it has received Liberty’s letter and willrespond in due course.Many pots are starting to boil on a number of fronts now

and we will watch the developments with great interest. Theresult of the construction workers action, and any facts relatingto the ‘OILC file’ revealed at any subsequent enquiries, mayeven open the door for further action against the oil industryon behalf of the brave 750 plus workers who were sacked andblacked after fighting for safety improvements and trade unionrights during the 1989/90 summers of discontent in the wakeof the Piper Alpha disaster which claimed the lives of 167 oftheir colleagues. We know a blacklist DID exist, the question isdoes a blacklist still exist? [See letters]

The former DirectorGeneral of the EconomicLeague,told that Kerrhad worked for theorganisation spying ontrade unions, claiminghe was a ‘key guy’.

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Early offshore operations took place when industrialBritain was feeling the full wrath of a Tory battering. PM,Margaret Thatcher believed British industry was suffering

due to trade-union attitudes and saw the ‘union bosses’ of thetime as “socialist politicians first, second and third”. She sawthe highly organised state-run industries as a hindrance tocapitalist ‘progress’ and threatening the profit margins of ToryParty supporters. With this in mind she set out to remove theframework that could support an effective trade unionmovement in the UK.

As the big battalions of the trade union movement weregradually eroded or lost to Tory Party ideology, unionmembership plummeted and unemployment figures soared.Thatcher further burdened the weakening unions byintroducing union busting legislation, making ‘traditional’industrial action just about impossible to organise. Unionsfound guilty of breaking the new laws were at serious risk ofbeing made bankrupt as union’s funds were sequestered by thecourts. All of this, combined with the hostile anti-trade union

offshore employers, made it incredibly difficult to organise theNorth Sea workforce in the beginning, just when it was neededmost. A new approach was needed and the former OILC wasestablished in the late eighties, but not as an officialtrade union so it had no assets that could beseized by the courts. With a mechanism inplace, the offshore workforce - outraged at thekilling of 167 men on Piper Alpha and fed upwith the lack of union protection offshore - wasable to protest in the most effective waypossible. During the summer periods ofproduction shut down in 1989/90 the workforcedowned tools and held very effective ‘sit-in’s’ onproduction installations all over the North Sea,co-ordinated by the OILC. There’s little doubt this direct action resulted in

a substantial reduction to Britain’s energy supplyby stretching the shut-down period. It also sent astark message to offshore employers andgovernment alike; the union busting legislationcould not prevent effective co-ordinated action from takingplace on offshore installations, and the OILC was a force to bereckoned with. The ability to shut down a country’s energysupply is bound to raise eyebrows and clearly the activities ofOILC became a focus of attention for employers.Hard core strikers continued to occupy platforms for many

days and their courageous action was only brought to an endwhen a High Court injunction was issued to remove them.Although the much needed union recognition did notmaterialise, safety in general did improve offshore - but at avery heavy cost. Over 750 brave OILC supporters were ‘sackedand blacked’ for protesting during the offshore strikes and agreat number found it extremely difficult to gain anyemployment offshore for years; some never returned. We’vealways known, and protested loudest, that a blacklist was beingused by employers to prevent union members the right to workoffshore, which employers obviously denied.However, solid evidence of a blacklist specifically targeting

OILC members has now emerged. Investigative Journalist, PhilChamberlain reveals in his blog ‘Taking out the Trash’ the extentof who was considered by offshore employers to be a threat. Forexample the respected academic, Prof Charles Woolfson, whocarried out extensive research into safety and industrial relations

following the Piper Alpha disaster and co-authored the well-regarded book, Paying for the Piper – Capital and Labour inBritain’s Offshore Oil Industry, was targeted by the industry whilsthe was a lecturer in Industrial Relations at Glasgow University. Having his work reported in the media led to him having a

file opened in 1995 by The Consulting Association (CA). The CAwas funded by industry to maintain blacklists on thousands ofunion activists before it was shut down by the InformationCommissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2009. Ian Kerr, the man paidto run the CA and spy on individuals was later convicted ofbreaching data protection laws. The file held on Prof Woolfson

describes media reports covering his research as;“contradictory findings on Health and Safety after thePiper Alpha tragedy.” Six months later the file reports:“Funding from oil industry to Glasgow Universitymay be cut if aboves activities continue, or there maybe a reduction in his activities to prevent thishappening.”Prof Woolfson said; “This is frankly an unwelcome

surprise. There is a clear intent to do meprofessional harm. This organisation and theindustry obviously felt sufficiently threatened bycritical academic research on safety to put me on ablacklist. I am aware of the activities of Ian Kerrand the next time I am in the UK, I would like tomeet him. When I started the work I said to the

university that there might be some reaction fromthe industry. I was told that as long as I could substantiate mywork they would support me whatever the circumstances. Ithink the university deserves credit for that. It is good to knowthat the tradition of critical scholarship cannot be influencedby threats from powerful corporate interests.”A spokesperson for the University of Glasgow said: “The

University of Glasgow is founded on the premise of academicfreedom and we would never compromise on that. As aninstitution we would never seek to influence the work orresearch of colleagues on the basis of any real, perceived orimplied threat from an external body or agency.” Threatening a respected academic because his objective

research doesn’t make good reading for PR Managers isabsolutely deplorable. RMT will do everything we can touncover further evidence of the employers collusion to preventworkers from protesting against poor safety offshore. Wedeplore in the strongest terms possible the LIARS in thisindustry who have always denied the existence of what weknew must exist. Most of all we resent the fact that innocentfamilies suffered hardship when good men were wronglydenied the right to work offshore.We will continue to report on any developments that come

out of on-going investigations surrounding the keeping ofblacklists and the activities of the Consulting Association.

Blacklist? What blacklist?Prof Charles Woolfson

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Double ditching, double dismay.Non-technical summaryThe near similar causes of the ditchings of Bond EC225 LP

Super Puma G-REDW (Bond 88 Romeo) on 10 May and CHCEC225 LP Super Puma G-CHCN (Helibus 24 Tango) on 22October quite understandably resulted in serious and well-publicised offshore workforce concern. They also generated alocal and national media feeding frenzy, which at times lackedboth accuracy as well as objectivity. Added to this was theseemingly slow and eventaully much criticised public responseof the manufacturer. Also, and in what is believed to be aunique move in AAIB terms, Farnborough has decided toamalgamate the two investigations, but as always is the case,has indicated that the combined ‘process will take as long as ittakes’. This is seen by the support helicopter industry as beingtotally logical.The Bond aircraft, with 12 passengers and two crew, was

outbound from Aberdeen to the MAERSK RESILIANT whenseveral cockpit warning lights illuminated during the cruise –the commander took control, reduced speed to 80 knots andturned back towards the coast, initiating a descent, andactivating the emergency lubrication system, noting shortlyafter that its Cockpit Warning also illuminated. In such casesan immediate landing is required and 88 Romeo wasaccordingly ditched into a moderate swell some 20nm East ofthe port after a total flight time of 27 minutes from Dyce. Theaircraft remained upright, being supported as designed by theemergency flotation gear. Following rotor shutdown, it wasevacuated into one of the liferafts via the starboard cabin door,with six of the occupants subsequently being rescued by BP’SJIGSAW SAR aircraft and the remainder being taken aboard theAberdeen RNLI all-weather lifeboat. Three of these were pickedup by Lossiemouth-based RAF Sea King Rescue 137, and theothers were taken to Aberdeen harbour – the subsequent AAIBspecial bulletins noted that two minor injuries were sustained. Apart from immersion damage the aircraft was recovered

intact and brought ashore where the Air Accidents InvestigationBranch (AAIB) quickly ascertained the failure of a shaft,forming part of the main rotor gearbox (MRGB) the bevel gearvertical shaft, this after around 167 hours’ flight time. Furtherinvestigation revealed that the item had failed in the vicinity ofa 4.2mm diameter hole in the area where the two parts arewelded together. This allowed the lower part of the shaft tomove downwards, causing damage to the part of the rollerbearing and, somewhat more significantly, to allow the pinionto partially disengage from the oil pump drive gears. In turn,this generated sufficient debris to activate the sump magneticchip detector as well as resulting in the lower part of the shaftno longer being driven and hence in a failure of the MRGBlubrication systems. More detailed investigation found thatthere were tooling marks and seemingly, a spiral scratchrunning along the length of the 4.2mm hole, the former beingout with the design specification, plus “scoops” in the innercountersink, as well as very small corrosion pits, these in turnonly being detected using a scanning electron microscope. In a second Special Bulletin, the AAIB indicated that there

had been a sensor failure of the EMLUB warning system, this inturn having some media outlets suggesting that had the pilots

Those Magnificent Men . . .

been aware of this (a mechanical impossibility), then theaircraft might have been able to at least make the beach,although pilot sources suggest that this would have been mostunlikely. However, Eurocopter then disagreed with Farnborough’s

analysis of the failure element, noting, “Laboratory testing todate indicates that the manufacturing quality of the verticalshaft hole and of the countersinks are not the cause of thecrack. Eurocopter has performed two specific fatigue tests inparticular have confirmed that the components show widestrength margins and that the dimensions of the shaft remainscorrect, even with corrosion in the welded area hole. The firstfatigue test was performed on a shaft belonging to the samebatch as the failed shaft, and the second test on another shaftwhere the hole had been deliberately corroded. As a reminder,the objective of a fatigue test is to determine the absolutefatigue limit of a component by increasing the forces aboveand beyond the standard level of forces applied in operationalconditions.”The second ditching occurred following a near-similar failure

of exactly the same type of MRGB shaft, plus generating yetanother false EMBLUB sensor illumination, this one involvingCHC Helibus 24 Tango, then outbound to the WEST PHOENIXwith 17 passengers and crew and occurring some 32nm SW ofSumburgh. Unusually for the area at the time of year, the seastate was virtually calm, the evacuation into the two liferaftswas accomplished without problems, their occupants shortlyafter being picked up a passing oil tanker and then flownashore to Kirkwall. Weather conditions remained benign, theseallowing the problem-free recovery of the aircraft and with theAAIB quickly confirming the shaft failure details, although onthis occasion these did not involve the welded element as theyhad in the BOH instance.Near immediate and extremely serious official action then

followed – on 25 October the European Aviation SafetyAuthority (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directiverequiring shaft inspections every three flight hours. This wassuperseded the same day by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority(CAA), reportedly the first time the CAA has taken such drastic

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action, which effectivelybanned certain over-waterhelicopter flights North of Lat45N. As a result, all EC225aircraft (around 20 then onthe UK register) werewithdrawn from service, aswere all AS332 L2 modelSuper Pumas fitted with thesame type of shaft. Oncethese aircraft were retrofittedwith an older variant, (eachone reportedly took fourengineers at least two days tocomplete) they werepermitted to resumeoperations, but it was notpossible to install them inthe EC225.In a more recent

presentation to the Aberdeen-based industry-wideHelicopter Safety andSteering Group (HSSG)senior Eurocopter executivesadvised that a majorinvestigative effort wasunderway at their Marignanefacility. This was centeredaround sophisticated factorybench testing aimed atestablishing the reason for the failures (urgent work was alsounderway to replicate and resolve the EMLUB sensor problems)– however, no timescale for the former was given as a flightprogramme would also be required. However, it was impliedthat the EC225 could be back in the air by the end of February2013, with industry sources suggesting to BLOWOUT that theeventual compensation bill could run into tens of millions ofeuros.(We can report that RMT has been invited to attend the

Eurocopter testing facility in Marignane to witness the testingof the suspect shafts, we hope to bring you a full report on thisin our next edition.) For full technical details of Farnborough’s initial responses to

these two potentially-lethal incidents, BLOWOUT readers arereferred to the publications (Special Bulletins) section of theAAIB website – Special Bulletins S02, S03 and S05 refer to thefirst, with S06 and S07 covering the second. For subsequentlegislative action, they should also visit those run by EASA andthe UK CAA.

IncidentsBLOWOUT was made aware of two recent and seemingly

potentially serious, albeit little reported, support helicopterincidents : in the first, this reportedly on 10 September, aScatsta-based Sikorsky S-92A had a tail rotor strike on anunnamed installation’s whip aerial off Shetland which resultedin its blades requiring to be changed. Just over a fortnight later,on 26 September, a Sikorsky S-76 on a BP flight made an

emergency landing on anairstrip near Withernsea –there are no further detailsregarding this event, whichhas been notified to theAAIB, will be dealt with viacorrespondence withFarnborough and presumablythen appear in an upcomingmonthly bulletin.(Regional Organiser, Jake

Molloy reports that the HSSGis working to improvecommunications of eventssuch as these and we hope toreport a new set ofcommunications guidelinesfor the aviation/oil and gasindustry in our next edition.)

What’s new?Suggestions that a recently

awarded £173M Bristoworder for ten (plus 17options) Sikorsky S-92Ahelicopters was a warningshot across Eurocopter’s bowsfollowing the two EC225ditchings have beenrubbished by most industry-

watchers who advise that such deals can take months to cometo fruition. However, this first aircraft is reportedly due to enterDyce or Scatsta-based service early in 2013, eventually bringingthe company’s UK inventory to around 21 airframes. Already inthe pipeline for Bond are 12 of the same type, with sourcesindicating that these are initially intended for operationsoffshore Norway.

SARAs widely expected, Aberdeen-based CHC, Bristow and Bond

Offshore are included on a shortlist recently published by theDept for Transport to provide SAR coverage around the UKfrom 2017, with the successful contractor(s) being announcednext March. In offshore industry terms, Lot I covers bases at orclose to Sumburgh, Stornoway, with an aircraft capacity of eightrescued persons out to 200nm; Lot II includes Lossiemouth,Leconfield and Prestwick with four persons; and Lot III willcover the requirements of Lots I and II. This long-term deal(reportedly for ten plus an optional five years) will follow aninterim agreement already in place which has Bristow take overCoast Guard SAR cover at Stornoway and Sumburgh from July2013. However, rescue agency sources tell BLOWOUT that theformer may have to be brought forward in the event of militarySea Kings running out of airframe hours before then. (Note:BLOWOUT readers will recall that in February 2011, CHC, the“preferred contractor” for the original contract effectively, andto the considerable embarrassment of government ministers,disqualified itself as a result of “bidding irregularities”.)

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19massive £1.4bn contract to Germanmanufacturer, Siemens, to buildrolling stock for the Thameslinktrains contract.OGN is also furious that the

Treasury granted Norwegian oil giantStatoil tax concessions to develop theMariner and Bressay fields here in the

North Sea - but failed to factor into the deal the employmentof UK workers. Our Norwegian colleagues, supported byfantastic unions and sensible government policy, have built acomplete support base for their own offshore industry over thepast thirty years and oil companies must use local suppliers forall offshore oil and gas projects in their sector. The same rulesapply with a number of other oil producing countries,including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia and manymore.

It was thought the UK government would ensure similarbenefits to the UK economy would come off the back of therecent ‘U’ turn in terms of tax for development of new fields inthe North Sea, when they announced;“The North Sea is a vital national asset, with oil and gas

production supporting a third of a million jobs.” In the samebreath Sajid Javid, Economic Secretary to the Treasury stated,“That is why this government has announced a range of taxmeasures expected to generate billions of new investment andcreate jobs.”However this rhetoric is falling flat on its face, as it transpires

that European Union trading laws prevent us from ensuringsimilar clauses are enforced into UK deals, with the result thatthe work has been awarded to shipyards in the Far East. Thereis in fact no UK policy requiring tax benefits to be reinvested inthe UK, and the only benefit the country will see is from taxrevenues generated when oil is eventually pumped ashore fromthe new fields.The OGN group Chairman has taken the matter up with

several ministers including Chancellor, George Osborne, andBusiness Secretary, Vince Cable, stating, “The UK is the only oiland gas province without a positive policy favouring localcontent.”Nick Brown, Labour MP for Newcastle East said he was

seeking clarification from the government as to why othercountries could ensure contracts went to local companies. “It isreasonable for us to expect the North Sea to support a strongdomestic industry,“ Brown said. “I’m in favour of free trade, butwhat is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander.”We at RMT agree entirely. Whilst we will do all we can toprotect our members jobs on UK installations we also supportour colleagues employed in the UK fabrication yards, many ofwhom have traditionally moved between shipyards andoffshore installations in the past, and a number of whomremain members of the union.

Cormorant Field Evacuated Again Air traffic to and from the Shetland Basin has seen a

marked increase lately with four evacuations taking place in asmany months from the TAQA Bratani operated CormorantAlpha, and North Cormorant platforms. Most recently (14th

January) workers were evacuated from Cormorant Alphafollowing leaked hydrocarbons in one of the installation’s legs.No one was injured in the incident, the leak was contained onboard, allegedly, and an HSE investigation is under way.

A news release from TAQA stated; “There are 159 people onboard and our number one priority is the safety and well-beingof our people. All those on board have been accounted for andthey are all safe and well. “We have stopped all non-essentialwork on the platform to focus all our efforts on addressing this

Everything is ok in the UK

Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) issuedan annual report on UK offshoresafety that Blair’s old spin-doctorAlistair Campbell would be proud of.According to OGUK the UK offshoresector is the third best performer in terms of non fatalaccidents with only the finance and education sectors doingbetter. Further on in the report OGUK claim that there hasbeen a 40% reduction in major and significant gas releases,and they have confidence that the 50% reduction target theyset themselves two years ago can be met.The Offshore Energy Branch of RMT does not buy in to this

distorted document. OGUK don’t want to mention the ElginFranklin debacle, which could have sent that installation intothe stratosphere if there had been an ignition source. They alsoplaced little emphasis on the fact that two UK offshore workersdied during the period. Our Regional Organiser Jake Molloycorrectly pointed out in his statement to the press that;“Drawing too much on the positives can send a distorted

message to the workforce, and especially those who haveexperienced problems of some sort”.The Offshore Energy Branch would go further than that and

say this document is nothing more than a PR exercise whichpaints a rosy picture of the UK Oil and Gas sector safetyperformance over the period, leaving out all the nasty stuff thatthey don’t want ‘Joe public’ to think about.OGUK Health and Safety Director Robert Patterson

commented the report should; “dispel a few myths aroundsafety performance”. Myths? What myths Robert? Perhaps youcan clarify this as we don’t see the fact we’re still submittingpersonal injury claims against your member companies as amyth?It is absolutely ludicrous to suggest that working offshore is

somehow safer than virtually every other sector of employmentin safety performance terms by using distorted injury statistics.Lies, damned lies, and statistics, as the old saying goes!Frankly the RMT Offshore Energy Branch treats this report

with the contempt it deserves and it should be disregarded bythe workforce as a propaganda piece.Branch Secretary

Thousands of UK engineering jobs lostBritish rig builders, Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN),

claim in a letter to MP’s that thousands of fabrication andengineering jobs could have been created at UK shipyards if thegovernment had supported British companies bidding to winrecent contracts to build North Sea installations.Furthermore OGN Chairman, Dennis Clark OBE, also

provides a stark warning in the letter that British manufacturerswill go out of business altogether if our government does notinsist that North Sea operators buy British components fromthe last remaining four rig builders based here in the UK. OGNwho once employed 30,000 workers at its Newcastle andLowestoft yards has seen its workforce shrink to 4,000 in recenttimes as contract after contract has been awarded to SouthKorea. In fact only 7% of the construction work required forthe UK sector has been awarded to British companies in thepast two years.The OGN Chairman states; “Over the past two years,

fabrication contracts for North Sea development worth over£10 billion have been placed overseas,” he suggests these alonehad the potential to create 10,000 jobs. The situation mirrorsthe 2011 outrage felt by our colleagues in the railway sectorwhen Derby-based train manufacturer, Bombardier, lost a

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issue. As a precaution, we will be taking all non-essential crewoff the installation.”Significantly, the incident also resulted in the shut-down of

the Brent Pipeline system - affecting production from 27 fieldsin the Northern sector and shutting down a further 8 platformsincluding, Dunlin, Thistle, Northern Producer, Murchison, NorthAlwyn, Tern, Eider and North Cormorant installations.Cormorant Alpha is a key pumping station and handlesaround 90,000 barrels of crude oil per day, of which 42,600 areproduced by TAQA. This probably explains the rush to get theBrent line opened again, a rush we hear not all staff wereentirely happy about!On 25th November 2012, another evacuation took place fromNorth Cormorant when a gas leak was detected in the platform’sdrilling package, the leak also resulted in the neighbouring Ternand Eider installations being shut down. A spokeswoman forTAQA said at the time, “As a result of an indication of gas, theplatform was shut down and depressurised. The platform’s welloperations have been made safe and the situation is undercontrol.” A less serious incident took place on 7th November2012 when 134 personnel were evacuated from the sameinstallation after diesel oil was found to have contaminated theplatform’s pot water system. The 54 remaining essential staffwere given bottled water and microwave meals until the systemwas flushed and treated over a period of days.Another incident involving the pot water system resulted in

the evacuation of personnel again on 24th September 2012.RMT members on the platform were allegedly left to wash insinks filled with water from kettles after the hot water system

failed. TAQA refused to comment on those claims, but didadmit that “there was a problem affecting the domestic hotwater supply”. For those left offshore it was a choice of shiver inthe showers or opt for a ‘dirty dive’ in their bunks untilproblems were sorted. TAQA did say; “a contingency plan wasin place should the repair work take longer than expected.”(Bigger kettles?)Scoffing ‘happy meals’ from a microwave and washing at a

sink after a hard shift on the Drill Floor is one thing, butunplanned hydrocarbon releases are another matter entirely.We await the findings of the on-going investigations withinterest. Blowout has reported extensively in the past on theprevious operators, (Shell UK) neglect of these platforms andwe suspect TAQA are suffering now as a consequence of thatneglect.

Grave MistakeBlowout ‘dug up’ a rather disturbing story in an industry

journal recently concerning the ‘grave’ discovery of plans todrill for gas under a cemetery! The residents of LowellvilleTownship in the United States ‘unearthed’ the plans of a gasdrilling company to drill for gas underneath the town’scemetery and several residents are reported to have ‘flippedtheir lids’. Blowout readers will no doubt understand theconcerns of the townsfolk and why they want these plans‘buried’ as soon as possible. Let’s face it; any oil companylooking to spud holes in a graveyard is likely to encountersignificant ‘bones’ of contention.

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21Something is runningthrough the Heather!

Non-essential workers wereevacuated from the Heather Alphaplatform on 21st November 2012following an outbreak ofNOROVIRUS. Three victims werequarantined in designated rooms in an effort to prevent thevirus, also known as the ‘winter vomiting bug’, from spreadingand infecting others on the platform. At the time of theoutbreak Petrofac who supply staff to the Enquest operationsaid; “We can confirm that there are currently three suspectedcases of norovirus on the installation.” Petrofac also admittedthat up to 50 workers had demonstrated symptoms of the virusduring the month leading up to the evacuation of the platform.“Personnel who have contracted the virus have all been

provided with medical support as required and quarantined indesignated cabins, in line with company procedures.“All reasonable steps have been taken to contain the spread

of the virus and support and guidance is being provided byonshore doctors and occupational health professionalsincluding NHS Grampian’s Health Protection Team.”Commenting further on the down-manning operation, the

Petrofac spokesperson said, “As an additional precautionarymeasure we are reducing the number of non-essentialpersonnel on the installation to limit further spread of thevirus.” An HSE spokesman confirmed Petrofac had contacted them

about the outbreak, which is reportable under the Reporting ofInjuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2005(RIDDOR), and that the situation was being monitored.

Back to the future - IADCThe International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC)

has recently issued a report that suggests the rate of safetyincidents in US waters is on target to set a five year low. Thesestatistics include incidents that required medical attention,those that resulted in workers being restricted from certainactivities or transferred to other jobs and those that resulted inlost time and fatalities - REALLY! A five-year low! It’s difficult enough to get your head round

this statement and you really get a feel for how deluded thesepeople are when up pops the Health and Safety guy to tell useverything is just rosy in the IADC garden. Mr Joe Hunt (yes –Hunt) head of health, safety, and environment at IADCprovides some astonishing statements to the industrynewspaper Upstream, and some of us in the RMT/OILC branchthought Mr Hunt might do well as a bad taste comedianconsidering some of the gems that ‘good old Joe’ provides.

Joe says;“The safety effort for drilling contractors in the Gulf of

Mexico has been very good and very strong”. Joe, in case youmissed it, the Deepwater Horizon is lying at the bottom of theGulf of Mexico and 11 workers are dead! Very good?

Joe says;“Everybody likes to think that the new regime is going to

make things safer and it probably will to an extent”. However,regardless of the implementation of the new regulations,offshore workers should enjoy a safer workplace after theaccidents because of companies own internal efforts to re-examine their operations.”Joe, we don’t want to wait until ‘after the accidents’ we want

to stop the accidents!Joe says; “Just the process of everyone re-looking at things is going to

make everything safer.”

So Joe reckons everything will befine if the companies themselvescheck and audit their own safetysystems! Obliviously Joe has a touchof dementia, because it was exactlythat type of attitude that killed elevenworkers on the Deepwater Horizon.The bottom line is; Joe and his

colleagues don’t like regulation! They don’t like being told bygovernment, unions or anyone else how to run theiroperations. They want to regulate themselves and Mr Joe Hunthas more or less confirmed just that with some of his wisecracks. They think the law and regulation is something theyhave to try and get around and they will find anyway to avoidit if it means a few extra bucks in their pockets and theshareholders pockets. That’s how it’s always been and that’s theway they want to keep it! The RMT/OILC Offshore Energy Branch is appalled by Mr

Hunt’s comments and it really does show that the IADC isstuck in the dark ages.

Another assault on the OCA!News is starting to filter in about yet another attack on

contract workers terms and conditions, this time in thesouthern sector of the North Sea. It appears the main operatorin the sector, Perenco, have commenced ‘consultations’ withtheir contractor, CAPE Industrial Services, about significantchanges they want introduced. We use the word ‘consultations’but in fact this appears to be a done deal as some workersreport CAPE have in fact issued 90 days notice of change toterms and conditions.One worker has described the changes as a “Perenco

Blitzkrieg” claiming “core staff” will see at least £500 permonth cut from their income and almost certainly a change toworking rotas, possibly moving back from 2 on 3 off to astraight 2x2. Other workers described as “shuttle teams” havebeen told that during periods when they are effectively onstand by, they will receive NO PAY! If the proposal on no formof pay is true, this is essentially the introduction of “ZEROHOURS” contracts, something RMT is completely opposed toand we would hope our colleagues in Unite and GMB wouldbe likewise.Our members have understandably expressed their anger

about these changes but more than that they claim they arebeing “sold out” as the employer assures them thatconsultation about these changes is taking place – ‘with theirrecognised union partners, Unite and GMB’! We have nothingto verify these claims as we go to press, but we will be pushingfor our National Executive to intervene and seek an earlymeeting with their Unite and GMB counterparts to discussthese claims.Of course assaults like this on workers supposedly covered by

the OCA agreement are nothing new to the pages of Blowoutand Enough is Enough. We have previously reported on similarattacks in the Apache operated Forties Field and Beryl Fieldwhere Stork, Salamis and Petrofac workers have been told theyare no longer covered by the OCA provisions, even to theextent they have had their 4-weeks paid leave removed! Manymore have been forced into self employed status, which initself begs the question; How can Stork, Petrofac and othercontract staff around the North Sea be facing redundancy whenthere are self employed - non-staff – personnel continuing toprovide services to these contractors at a number of sites whileloyal employees face the dole?These questions and many more need answering about the

OCA arrangement as it’s not just our members who aresuffering while supposedly covered by it!

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Hi JakeAs I explained, I received a call from

an agency asking me if I would beinterested in 7 days work with Ensco onone of their rigs. I agreed to do the jobfor the said 7 days, then approximately 1hour later I received another callinforming me that the job had changedand was now for the duration of 2 days.I told the agency I was not interested in2 days as it was a waste of time, mytravel expenses to get to and fromHumberside would be plus £100. I laterreceived another call telling me that thejob they wanted me to do had nowreverted back to 7 days, great I said andagreed to take the job even though it wasat short notice. I travelled down that night (a hotel

room was arranged) and joined the rigon the Wednesday. As I joined, my wifereceived a call from another agencyasking if I was available for work. I laterfound out they wanted me to join thesame Ensco rig I had joined, and here’sthe kicker, they wanted me for the Friday2 days after I had already joined. As Isay, I was not aware of the details aboutthis until later. I continued working on the rig and

completed a 12 hour shift on theThursday finishing at 06.00hrs and wentto bed. I got wakened by the OIM atapprox 09.00hrs informing me that Iwas leaving the rig that morning. Pleasenote there was no complaint about mywork performance, in fact he gave me atrip assessment stating that I completedall tasks given and reached the dizzyheights of “Good” in all categories. No,the reason I was going home wasbecause someone in Ensco had spottedmy name and because of my previoustime with them I was ‘not required’ anylonger, though I couldn’t get this inwriting of course.Name and address supplied

Hi JakeJust to prove that blacklisting does

exist: I had a work mate who told me tosend a copy of my C.V. to his supervisoroffshore as they were desperately looking for mechanics. I sent my C.V. tomy mate who gave it to his supervisorwho had a look at it and said to mymate - when can your buddy start? Hesaid probably right away. The supervisorsaid that’s good I‘ll get onto Petrofac andget him started. The reply from Petrofac was; we will

look elsewhere before we re-employhim. I just wonder if Petrofac would liketo explain to me why they would not re-employ me. To me this is a blacklistingsituation. Petrofac paid me off becausethey said they could not find suitableemployment for me. So if a maintenance

supervisor offshore looks at my C.V.and is willing to give me a start surelythat should be good enough to beemployed. Why did Petrofac say NO????? I don’t suppose I will ever findout.

I also know one of my work matesapplied for a job with Petrofac and wastold that - under no circumstances willhe ever work for them again. He cannotunderstand why this is, as he foundanother job and worked his notice anddone everything by the book but cannotget a job back with Petrofac? Who islaunching the blades in Petrofac?Probably someone who is no longeremployed by Petrofac but left ‘blackmarks’ against certain employees theydidn’t like.Name and address supplied

Dear Sir / MadamI would like to make a few comments

concerning issues with helicopters thesedays. I would like theseconcerns/comments to be fullyaddressed by the helicopter companiesand clients.

1. I have worked offshore in theNorth Sea since 1974. I have been heldback on the rig and shore side moretimes in the last 3 years than the wholeof the period before 2009 by a factorexceeding 300%. Something is wellamiss here!

2. At least once a week and oftenmore we hear that one of our choppershas - GONE TECHNICAL. Flying CHC atpresent. Often as not we get noexplanation as to what the fault is (ifany) we often think that this term maybe misused but do not really know. Iwould now insist that we are given aFULL explanation as to what theproblem is before we board, whether itbe from shore side or rig.

3. The seating on Puma helicopters istotally unsuitable for long flights, orreally any - the seats could not be moreuncomfortable being far too narrowwith a very short seating section causinggreat numbness in the legs and a veryuncomfortable back inclination. Veryminimal seat padding. Because the seatsare so narrow, if one is sitting in theaisle seat beside a large person thenoften as not only half your bum is onthe seat, dangerous and veryuncomfortable making a mockery out ofthe seat harness system. Basically theyare squeezing far too many persons inthese helicopters with little or nothought towards passengersafety/comfort. How the CAA allows thisis beyond me?

4. With now more cracks appearing inthe gearbox shafts, yet again, I haveabsolutely no faith in these helicopters

whatsoever and this is felt by many ofmy fellow rig crew members. Thisstressful situation of doubts abouthelicopter reliability and flight delays,could well have knock on effectsconcerning rig safety etc i.e. Peoplesminds not fully on the job as well asshore side relatives worries andconcerns.RMT Member C926908

HiWe keep hearing how these oil

company’s supposedly taking safetyseriously; if so they should ban using theEC225. They are quick enough to bancertain gloves or boots where peoplehave cut a hand or twisted an ankle! Tome this is a big difference, the pair ofgloves or boots you can walk away fromwith minor injurjies but when choppersfall out of the sky this a different ballgame we are talking fatalities.We as an offshore workforce as you

know have been very lucky that the 3ditchings into the sea have not resultedin fatalities as things have went in ourfavour i.e. weather etc. I would like toknow what the union’s stance is oncethis situation is sorted out, that if peoplestart to refuse to fly in the EC225 wheredo we stand? Member M0120336

ColleaguesThanks for the info. A question about

the VHM or HUMS systems (conditionmonitoring systems); what’s the pointin having a prediction system thatdoesn’t get downloaded after eachcompleted tour (out & back)? We areled to believe that best practice is todown load after each and every tourand we are also told that Bristow’sadopt this best practice. Why can’t weask all the helicopter companies to dothe same?

We have read the recent AAIB BulletinS6/2012, it confirms that EC225 LPSuper Puma, G-CHCN had warnings(Red & Amber) from the vibrationHealth Monitoring system. Again,because they (CHC) don’t download thedata collected after each flight, thisprediction tool isn’t being best used.Can you press this question on ourbehalf, I’m sure you have already this inhand, however just in case.Member M0104131

Letters

I believe that Stork Technical Services were just looking for any excuse to get out of paying standby

BLOW

OUT:Th

e OILC M

agazine • WINTER 2013

VISIT w

ww.oilc.org

23

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvxyzHiI’m just home off the Kittiwake and

was flying home as the other chopperditched. We were pulled into a departurelounge at CHC on arrival. A managertold us what had happened, that it hadbroke on the news so contact ourfamilies, and another line - don’t speakto any one on your way out!When on Kittiwake they announced

that their helideck crew were receivingan EVE award as they hadaccommodated a Bond chopper with awarning light on deck some time ago Ithought; I don’t know what’s worse,ditching in the sea or landing on a rigwith live plant? Once this chopper hadlanded there weather worsened and itwas apparently a bit dramatic with thepassengers ending up stuck on Kittiwakefor a day or so, I think the pilots tookthe chopper into the beach.On the chopper I came in on a film

crew had come out to make a film aboutthe event to be shown at the EVE awardsceremony? Personally I thought its a bitmuch turning worrying events like we’veseen over the last couple of years into anopportunity to pin some medals on thecore crew boys, but maybe it’s just me?Member M0109169

Stand byI am writing to Blowout to complain

about Stork who recently used the

Xmas and New Year period to pull a

fast one regarding standby. I had

completed eighteen days offshore and

was due to be off for the Xmas as per

my rota.

Seven days in to my leave period I

received a phone call from Stork HR

asking if I would return on the 24th

December. I refused to go offshore as I

was still on my leave and had made

plans for the period with my family. I

explained this to the girl and said we’d

been planning for months because this

was my first Xmas home for a couple of

years. I said I would be available again

on the 28th December which was my

scheduled return date and would return

then. The HR girl was very stroppy and

told me that because I was refusing to

mobilise my standby guaranteed

payments under the OCA would be

stopped as soon as my leave period

exhausted. She said I was “refusing

work” and as an Ad-hoc worker I

couldn’t do that!

This happened to everyone who was

working on this project. I believe that

Stork Technical Services were just

looking for any excuse to get out of

paying standby. I mean if you look at it

more closely you would think they have

had it planned as they know fine well

that no one would mobilise on the 24th

December, and they more than likely

knew that they didn’t have any work for

our return. I am now sitting at home

with no form of income awaiting my

next assignment but frankly I think I

will be looking for new employment

ASAP.

Member M0105976

JakeCan you explain to me how after

working on the same installation for 6

years on a regular 2 and 2 and due to

have Christmas off I can suddenly be

told – you have refused to work so you

will not receive any stand by money

when you’re field break is over because

the job you were on is now finished and

because you’re just ad-hoc we can send

you any place at any time!

Do these people no have families? Do

they think we can just tell the bairns

sorry, Christmas is cancelled kids cos

Dad’s got to go back to work cos if I

don’t I’ll no have any money to feed

you! On top of that I then got told that

because you’ve refused work we will

have to remove you from our system

and you’ll get 7 days notice after which

your employment will terminate! I

thought the Wood Group were a no bad

outfit, but see since they joined up with

PSN and punted us all to Guernsey,

they’ve become a bloody nightmare!

Member M0105973

HiNever been one for writing or

complaining but after Monday at CHC Ihad to say something.After the ditching on Monday, all the

flights were taken in and told byCHC’s manager what had happened

and we were allowed to use their phonesto phone home and reassure our

families it wasn’t our flight. So as wewatched the other flights be put homewith an early morning check-in ringingin their ears for the next day, our flightto the forties was left. It’s now 6pm andwe are instructed to go to departures.Some of the guys clearly concerned as itwas now dark and no reason for theditching could be given. The terminalmanager came in and asked if we werewilling to fly, as we would be going on aMk 2 Puma. A few concerns were raised;no problem she said I quite understand,would we like to speak to the Apacherep (bad move), yes said some of theguys and off she went.Well this woman storms in giving it –

‘what’s the problem’ - our concerns wereRaised again. Well it’s a different

chopper say’s she, it could have beenpilot error (nothing about chopperproblem) says she, I will go and phoneyour OIMs’ and off she stormed. About10 mins later she’s back spouting - yourOIMs’ are very disappointed with you,and what seemed to be a veiled threat ofget on the chopper or else she says - wellif you want to take yourself off the listthen feel free but I can’t promise to getyou a seat on a future flight.So off we all go to the Forties Field on

a three stop tour, the pilot who wecouldn’t understand over the intercom,lands on the first helideck like acrane landing a container THUDD!!! Unbelievably we all troop off down to

heli-admin to be met by - nobody! NoOIM, no alright lads, nothing! Theattitude of Apache management towardsthe troops beggar’s belief! You’reobviously just a number to them andI’m surprised that they get anyone towork on an Apache rig.Member M0106333

SEND YOUR LETTERS OR EMAILS TO BLOWOUT: 49 Carmelite Street, Aberdeen AB11 6NQ Tel: 01224 210118, E-mail: blowout@oilc.org

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