Staff in Amec Foster Wheeler strike over pay

Specialist staff in Energy, Safety and Risk Consultants Ltd, part of Amec Foster Wheeler’s clean energy division, are taking industrial action today (Friday 10 July).

More than 240 staff in ESRC voted overwhelmingly for strike action and action short of a strike in a ballot run by the Electoral Reform Society and organised by Prospect.

The action is aimed at persuading clean energy management to improve its pay offer for 2015. The offer is a three-month pay freeze covering January to March then a 1.6% increase.

The employees taking part in the strike are specialists in the nuclear industry, assuring the safe operation of nuclear power plant around the world.

The strike will affect ESRC sites at Warrington and Knutsford, ChesireOxfordshireDorset and Quedgeley in Gloucestershire, with pickets forming outside each site from 7am on the day.

The ESRC group was transferred from Serco to Amec Clean Energy in 2012. Amec Foster Wheeler is a FTSE oil and gas company with 40,000 employees, which reported more than £300m profit last year. Its directors have awarded themselves more than £11m worth of free share bonuses in the past year.

Prospect negotiator Tony Hammond said: “Our members do not take industrial action lightly but they are very angry at the pay freeze, the size of the offer and the way the negotiations have been conducted.

“The company maintains that it is unable to improve the award, which falls short of competitor pay-rises in the sector, because of a contraction in the oil and gas sector. It also claimed that the pay freeze would be across the board, including the top team.

“But we have found out that in the last eight months the company has awarded more than £11 million in shares and share options to nine senior staff. A pay freeze for you – share options for them.

“Prospect have consistently said that we are willing to meet the employer to discuss improvements to their offer, so as to avoid the need for industrial action. But the employer’s approach leaves no other alternative.”

Members voted in two separate ballots, one in April and then an independently-run legal ballot in June. The result showed 67% said they were prepared to take part in strike action and 86% voted for action short of a strike. The turnout was 68%. Action short of a strike started on 3 July.