11/06/2008

Unite Urges Oil Giant To "Stop Sitting On Its Hands"

Unite the union has urged oil giants Shell to stop sitting on its hands and act to avert the four day strike by tanker drivers set to begin this Friday, 13 June.

Unite Assistant General Secretary Len McCluskey said: "Only Shell sets the terms of this contract and only it can solve this dispute. This is one of the most profitable companies on earth and it now needs to provide the financial flexibility to avert this dispute.

"It is no use Shell bosses, who have themselves enjoyed 15% plus pay increases in the last year, sitting on their hands. They have 72 hours to start focusing on avoiding the disruption this will cause to the general public who are already mindful of the staggering profits Shell rakes in.

"Shell tanker drivers are earning exactly the same today as they were fifteen years ago while working for a company that makes £1.3 billion every month, profits our members' hard work helps deliver. So Unite is saying to Shell bosses, stop hiding behind your sub-contractor and help us sort out a solution.

"This dispute could be settled for less than £1 million, an amount that would not put even the slightest dent in Shell profits."

The union is holding talks with Shell's contractor at ACAS this week in a bid to reach a settlement.

Unite says that Shell tanker drivers today earn a basic wage of just under £32,000 per year for a 48-hour working week. In 1992, a typical tanker driver directly employed by Shell earned approximately £32,000 per year for a 37-hour week. Shell's board members typically received a 16 percent increase in their pay packets last year.

(CD/JM)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

16 July 2012
Greenpeace Protests Shut Down 53 Shell Stations
53 Shell petrol stations have been shut down by Greenpease activists in protest at the company's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic. The campaigners are attempting to shut off petrol to London's 105 Shell stations and Edinburgh's 14; 50 have been closed in London and three in Edinburgh.
18 June 2008
Tanker Drivers Win 14% Pay Deal
Fuel tanker drivers have been offered a 14% pay rise over two years, after their four-day strike. The dispute affected around one in 10 of Britain's petrol stations at the weekend and raised fears that there could be petrol shortages.
19 June 2006
Royal & Sun Alliance to cut 1,550 jobs
Insurance firm Royal & Sun Alliance has announced plans to cut 1,550 jobs by June 2008, including 1,000 in the UK. The job cuts are part of plans to save around £130 million across the group by 2008.
31 January 2008
Shell Profits Record Angers Stakeholders
Anglo-Dutch oil firm Royal Dutch Shell has reported record annual profits of $27.56bn (£13.9bn). The record figures have made British corporate history, which are equivalent to more than £1.5m an hour and come at the end of a three-month period when crude prices have averaged over $90 a barrel.
02 February 2006
Shell reports biggest ever UK profits
Oil company Royal Dutch Shell have reported the largest ever profits recorded for a UK-listed firm. The firm reported earnings of $22.94 billion (£12.96 billion) - the equivalent of nearly £1.5 million every hour. The figures were up almost a third on last year's profit of $17.9 billion (£9.8 billion).