Trade unions yesterday condemned North Sea workforce conditions claiming signs of the failings that led to Piper Alpha are “coming to the surface again”.
The Offshore Coordinating Group, made up of several unions including Unite and RMT, hosted a “Reflections on Piper Alpha” conference in Aberdeen, marking 30 years since the tragedy.
As well as the 1988 disaster, RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy said “all the signs” of fatal incidents such as the 2003 Brent Bravo in the North Sea and 2010’s Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico are resurfacing.
He accused operators of hiding behind a ‘safety net’ of telling workers they should have stopped the job after a tragedy had occurred.