The dock workers in Esbjerg support the SLB UK strike
The union of the port workers in Esbjerg supports the strike against the British oil service company SLB UK in solidarity. – It is necessary to stand together in solidarity, across national borders, when wages and working conditions are threatened, says Jakob Lykke, trade union leader in 3F in Esbjerg.
Ommund Stokka and Erling Holmefjord from Industri Energi, met on Monday the Danish 3F trade union leader Jakob Lykke in Esbjerg, on the west coast of Denmark.
“We informed him about the strike in SLB UK and experience being met with overwhelming support and solidarity. It is important and means a lot to us” says deputy head of Industri Energi, Ommund Stokka.
The local trade union leader, Jakob Lykke, describes the meeting as very useful.
“We are experiencing high international activity at the port of Esbjerg now, where ships from all over the world are arriving to take part in oil/gas and offshore wind activity in the North Sea. Then it is absolutely necessary that the trade unions have good contact across national borders, to ensure people’s wages and working conditions” says Lykke.
“It does not belong anywhere that oil workers in a large international company such as SLB UK should be denied a Norwegian collective agreement when they carry out work on the Norwegian continental shelf. For us it is obvious. And we fully support the strike” he continues.
Industri Energi has demanded the oil service agreement applicable to its members in SLB UK who work on “Island Captain”. This vessel has a contract to operate pressure support on the Ekofisk field, furthest south on the Norwegian continental shelf. The ship uses the Danish port city of Esbjerg as a supply base.
The Danish union 3F organizes port workers, including in Esbjerg, as well as employees in oil/gas and offshore wind.
“We have 3,000 members in our branch in Esbjerg alone. And we have a 100 percent degree of organization among the 500 dock workers in Esbjerg” says Lykke.
