UK petrol and diesel fuel supplies could become "severely affected" by North Sea oil strikes, according to unionists, with workers planning industrial action in the coming weeks.
Apache energy company is expected to start a 24-hour strike at 5am on Wednesday over an escalating pay dispute. Seven Apache assets associated with the Forties and Beryl oil fields are set to be impacted by the industrial disruption.
Forties Pipeline System at Risk
The Forties Pipeline System (FPS) is responsible for about 30% of the UK's oil production. Unite industrial officer Stevie Davies warned that "material disruption" should be expected.
The news comes at a time when wholesale oil prices as well as petrol and diesel fuel pump prices are soaring. Diesel passed £2 per litre earlier this month in a new all-time high.
Pay Dispute Details
Unite claims the operator has set deadlines for reaching an agreement over back pay, and indicated payments may be withheld. Unite warns these moves could leave workers "potentially thousands of pounds out of pocket" which has led to industrial action.
A further 24-hour period of strike action is also scheduled to start from 6am on November 4.
Steve added: "We want these talks to be successful, but we are not hopeful because Apache has shown no willingness to resolve this dispute. Many of our members have been offered a real terms pay cut – and that is unacceptable for an extremely profitable oil and gas operator.
"We have repeatedly warned that any action could lead to a material disruption in the Forties Pipeline. This could severely affect the UK's fuel supplies."
Apache's Response
Apache stressed that it plans to use experienced contractors to continue production whilst workers are on strike. They also added that they would not expect an impact on other oil companies using the pipeline.
An Apache spokesperson said they have "engaged constructively throughout the pay discussions" and believe their offer to workers was fair.
Apache added: "Our offer provides a 4% pay increase for employees in the bargaining unit, whose earnings already place them among the highest earners in the UK and whose offshore rota averages 153 working days a year."
"Based on our current contingency plans, we do not anticipate that industrial action would affect other producers' ability to continue operating through the Forties Pipeline System."
The Express has contacted Apache and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) for comment.
