250 North Sea workers to reap benefits from UK union recognition deal

April 9th, 2026

The offshore workers’ voices on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) are set to be amplified as Unite, described as Britain’s largest offshore trade union, has secured a new recognition agreement with Apache, a North Sea operator.

Beryl Alpha in North Sea; Source: APA

Unite explains that this recognition agreement covers over 250 offshore workers across seven assets associated with the Forties and Beryl oil fields, enabling the union to negotiate on behalf of the workers to improve jobs, pay, and conditions with the Apache Corporation, a subsidiary of APA Corporation.

According to the UK trade union, the workers, which are expected to benefit from this deal, perform various roles, including electrical, instrument, mechanical and production technicians, alongside telecoms technicians, and radio operators.

Sharon Graham, Unite’s General Secretary, commented “The Apache recognition agreement is a great result for Unite in the offshore sector. It shows that Unite is continuing to deliver better jobs, pay and conditions for our critical oil and gas workers who are essential to the nation’s energy security and supply.”

Unite claims to have delivered multiple recent wins for North Sea workers, such as a pay agreement with Adura Energy, a two-year pay deal for Sodexo workers at Sullom Voe, and an improved pension offer for over 400 Bilfinger workers.

Stevie Davies, Unite’s Industrial Officer, underlined: “Unite is delighted to have secured another win in the offshore sector this time for Apache workers. The union recognition agreement will ensure that Unite has a platform to deliver enhanced pay and conditions for this key group of offshore workers across a number of Apache assets.”

The UK union highlights that it has launched a campaign to demand protection for oil and gas jobs and the communities those jobs sustain from Scottish politicians ahead of the Holyrood elections – Keep The North Sea Working.

Unite is asking Scottish politicians to back the union’s demand for a no-compulsory-redundancy pledge to preserve jobs, pay, and conditions across the industry due to the absence of any just transition.