Plea for North Sea workers’ helpline

CALLS have been made for a dedicated whistleblowers’ helpline for offshore workers as concerns rise over health and safety standards in the North Sea.

Nearly 60 per cent of offshore workers say standards have dropped in the past six months, and Scotland’s biggest offshore union is demanding action.

In a survey carried out by Unite the union, 58.5 per cent of offshore workers said standards had dropped, with 38.2 per cent saying they had stayed the same and just 3.2 per cent saying they had improved.

Some 38.5 per cent of workers said they had been placed in a position where they have been unable to report an incident for fear of victimisation.

Meanwhile 82.8 per cent of workers said there had been a reduction of skilled personnel, which had created issues around productivity and the ability to perform work tasks. The union Unite is now calling for a confidential whistleblowing telephone line that offshore workers could use to raise concerns. Some 86.9 per cent of workers supported the plan.

Unite regional officer William Wallace said this survey revealed a worrying picture. “Unite knows North Sea operators are facing challenges due to falling oil prices,” he said. “But companies have to realise they can’t prop up profits, or create a sustainable industry, by simply reducing the numbers of skilled workers on the job.

“We will be calling on the industry to work with health and safety bodies, with the trade unions, and with government so that we can get a confidential helpline created. No worker should feel victimised for raising these issues.”