Unions meet in offshore leave row

Oil rig workers claim they are being denied their holiday entitlement

Union leaders representing North Sea oil workers seeking an extra four weeks' paid holiday per year are meeting to decide their next move.

Five unions are complaining 17,000 offshore workers are being denied leave to which they are entitled under the European Union Working Time Directive.

Most work offshore for two weeks followed by a fortnight's compensatory rest - but for many the rest is unpaid.

The two sides are contesting the issue through the employment tribunal system.

An employment hearing last month ruled that the European legislation covered offshore installations, a decision dubbed by union leaders a "wonderful victory".

If the claims for annual leave succeed we are looking at direct costs of those additional paid holidays to workers of about £200m annually UK Offshore Operators Association director Chris Allen

But a number of oil and gas companies are to appeal, and the union leaders fear it could take years to resolve.

Offshore Contractors' Association chief executive Bill Murray said: "We have had clear legal advice there are very good grounds on which to base an appeal."

Company bosses say they will still engage in "constructive dialogue" with union leaders.

But UK Offshore Operators Association director Chris Allen said: "We are facing a defining moment in the future of our industry in the UK.

"If the claims for annual leave succeed we are looking at direct costs of those additional paid holidays to workers of about £200m annually.

The oil companies are making record profits and have been happy to give paid holidays to their employees in other European countries TUC general secretary Brendan Barber

"This would put us at a severe disadvantage against other world oil provinces competing for investment, a situation that would be exacerbated by the need to recruit hundreds of additional staff to cover for holidays at a time when we are also facing high demand for labour."

But TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The oil companies are making record profits and have been happy to give paid holidays to their employees in other European countries.

"It is time the employers accepted their responsibilities towards UK workers and their families.

"Working in the North Sea is a tough and dangerous job.

"The TUC is absolutely determined workers should have the same right to decent holidays as the rest of the UK workforce."