UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / April 16, 2020 / Unite Scotland has today (16 April) slammed the decision by Worley to announce redundancies at the Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT). The company operate the gas export pipeline to the terminal on the Shetland Island.

Following discussions with Worley the company have refused to furlough their workforce which stands at 27 employees and instead they are to make them redundant. The company have blamed the proposed redundancies on the need to make cost savings due to the significant fall in the price of oil and by the added pressures to their business from the Coronavirus pandemic. 

However, the other main contractor on site, Bilfinger, furloughed their workforce following a short but intense period of discussion with Unite in late March. The government scheme provides that individuals are paid 80% of wages up to a maximum of £2,500 per month effective from 1 March 2020 for a three-month period. Unite will continue to push Worley to reverse this decision on all redundancies and the trade union will now explore all legal options including the possibility of lodging unfair dismissal cases on behalf of the workers.

Unite Regional Officer, John Boland, said: “It is a disgraceful way to treat a workforce that have worked at Sullom Voe for many years, to discard them with no care or thought as to how they will survive. It’s clear that Worley is only interested in itself, and have no regard for the workforce. We urge the company to look at how the government scheme can be used to support the workers during this difficult time by delaying the redundancies as Bilfinger have done. If they don’t do the right thing then Unite will consider all actions in order to support the workforce including the possibility of lodging unfair dismissal cases on their behalf.”