North Sea Divers Strike tonight

[dougie]

http://www.rmt.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=98586

[Ray Shields]

Ha! Up The Workers.

Dig out the Falcons and the Panthers to replace them 😆 😆

[kangaroo]

I say good on the divers! They have a goal and are sticking to it! If we can’t force the rates up in the current climate, then we never will.

As to ROV taking the slack whilst divers are on strike I personally don’t agree with that, and I am not a diver.

The fat cat execs in the Oil companys and the management in ROV compnays are making a huge amount of money in the current climate and not passing it onto ROV crew or Divers.

Talking to guys from different agencies you can also see that rates vary from agency to agency as well in the UK. Whilst UKPS give a great service, their rates appear to be UK$20 pounds a day less than what you get from PROFFS. Why is this? I have heard that the service from PROFFS is just as good.

I have just come back from a job where a UK ROV company refused to issue me 1 pair of overalls because I was an agency guy! I was kind of glad it happened whilst I was in their workshop getting the system ready to go offshore. I was due to go offshore with the system the following week. In the end I rang the agency and said I was finishing up that day and went home.

I know ex Electricians who are now working for Shell down in Nigeria as sign off reps on new electrical installations onboard new platforms who were on US$1200 a day plus Business Class flights and this was 2 years ago. These are people that have a trade but overall less skills than an experinced ROV technician.

Good luck divers!

[Ray Shields]

Kangaroo,

Talking to guys from different agencies you can also see that rates vary from agency to agency as well in the UK. Whilst UKPS give a great service, their rates appear to be UK$20 pounds a day less than what you get from PROFFS. Why is this? I have heard that the service from PROFFS is just as good.

I believe UKPS go at the start of the year and agree rates with the different companies for the next 12 months. This is why I would not go with UKPS. They are supposed to work for YOU not for the Companies. They are too lazy to get the best rate going at the time for the individual.

I have just come back from a job where a UK ROV company refused to issue me 1 pair of overalls because I was an agency guy!

And? Nothing new there. You should be at least arriving at a job with the appropriate PPE yourself. You are Agency, not a staff member. Your employer (The Agency) is responsible for supplying that.

If you wish to go down to Nigeria for $1200 a day with business class flights, fill yer boots. Theres a few Sparrows guys would say its not worth the extra money…

[rover37]

Well said Ray. For the first time in ten years the boot is on the other foot and salaried guys are getting more than agency. Why should the agencies get away with doing sod all and providing nothing for their staff!! You would think it would be in their interest to have a big UKPS or whatever on overalls.
The ammount of moaning I have heard in the last couple of months is unbeleivable. They were more than happy with their rates earlier in the year as I recall!!!!

[rover37]

I should add I have nothing against agency staff. There are many first class guys out there but what devine right do they have to earn more than regular staff who hopefully have the long term interest of the systems to heart.

[Ray Shields]

I can understand it from both sides.

Previously Agency got more because they didn’t work all year, you worked The Season, you got paid more because work (or the lack of it) was more risky. The same way as you get a lower per day price for a hire car than you do for one days hire (if you see what I mean!) then Salary people got less but were guaranteed money.

Agency guys turn up, swan about on your system earning a packet more than you but not knowing the system? yes, annoying. However you also get Salary guys who aren’t clever enough to go Agency (cos they would starve!) who are quite happy to sit back and get paid their salary whether they work or not or whether they do a good job or not.

Theres good guys and bad guys on both sides 😀

[Anonymous]

Oooh Boo hoo hooo, they wouldn’t give me any overalls sob sob. Life is so hard what am i to do??.
Oh the injustice, all those fat cats must be wearing the overalls that so rightly should have come to me. Best I just leave the company in the lurch so they never ever forget my name and screw me sometime later down the track or even better that I propogate the impression that all ROV personnel are a bunch of Whiners……….

[SmallWorld]

Lets get this straight .
The divers are going on strike because the company wont give them overalls ? 😯

The electricians are getting paid $1200 ? 😯

This is so wrong , I say 💡 give the divers $1200 rise a day & give the electricians overalls.
😆

[deepseacon]

DIVERS STRIKE!!!!!!!!

Go to

http://www.longstreath.com

if interested in more info

[farq30]

Rather than talk about whether somebody wasn’t getting overalls.
Do you think the strike by the divers will have any effect on the subsea business.Or will the strike see companies change their outlook towards future subsea operations?
Do you think the strike will last any amount of time ? Will companies let dive vessels sit in dock doing nothing? A lot of money sitting doing nothing for a company

[James McLauchlan]

If you want to talk about coveralls… do it
HERE
You can even vote on it because I have added a poll. er…. you need to look at another poll stored on the site to guess which way the results will go. 😉

The strike…
It may seem like a weird time of the year.. it’s a North Sea strike and we’re now onto November when traditionally, because of the bad weather, there isn’t much diving work kicking off (or underway) anyway. So you would think it would have little impact.

The timing of a strike has to be balanced though… I think it’s around now that the RMT negotiate the rates for the following season so that is probably why it come about at this moment in time.

From a diver point of view.. hopefully by now they will have topped up their bank accounts after a season at work and will be able to hang tough over the winter and into the new year until they get a result.

[Anonymous]

My point was about the pathetic rantings in his post and how the guy drops a company cos they wont give him any coveralls. What that has to do about a divers strike escapes me. However the pathetic comment and the guys actions (leaving a job after making a commitment because they wont give him any coverall??) are the reasons why companies treat people that work for them in a certain way (disdainful)……Where is the professional ethic in that one or is there none in the ROV community in general?

[Anonymous]

And just one more comment that actually relates to the subject at hand (rather than overalls).
Divers have been fucked over for years by companies, I know i was one for a few years before joining the ranks of the typical ROV whiners club. They damn well should go on strike for more and damn well should be paid more than ROV guys seeing as how they can die doing their profession ( a little bit different than the scrapes you might get changing out the HPU motor…).
Moreover divers have for years had to pay for HUETS, medicals, coveralls?,CSWIP quals, offshore flower arranging course etc etc ad infinitum unlike prima donna ROV personnel who seem to have no conception of what it is like to start at the bottom and actually have to work your way to the top.

[SmallWorld]

ROV moaner

Overalls Coveralls ? which ones do divers have to buy & whats the difference anyway ?

Also when you say you start at the bottom first 😳 whats that all about ? ➡

As for the strike I think if they han in thee they may well get both coveralls & overalls thats the BOTTOM line 😆

[Author]

Posts