Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, and Stevie Davies, the union’s industrial officer, are leading the union’s response after workers at Apache’s North Sea operations backed strike action. The vote was announced on October 5, 2026, after pay negotiations between Apache and Unite broke down.
More than 160 offshore workers, including electrical experts, production technicians and radio operators, are involved across seven Apache North Sea assets. Apache offered staff a 4% pay increase, which Unite described as a real-terms pay cut when inflation is considered. The union also said Apache had set deadlines for backdated payments that workers may not receive.
Unite said workers had ‘emphatically’ backed strike action. The union said a walkout could begin later in October 2026 and could involve assets linked to the Forties and Beryl oilfields.
The immediate concern is the Charlie platform. Unite warned that a shutdown there could potentially bring down the entire Forties pipeline system, and said industrial action could ‘severely disrupt’ UK fuel supplies. The system handles about 30% of UK oil and gas, carries Forties Blend crude that underpins the Brent benchmark, and moves crude from dozens of North Sea fields to Scotland. Ineos operates the system.
Apache said its offshore personnel were among the highest-paid workers in the UK, with an average offshore rota of 153 working days a year. The company said it had engaged constructively in negotiations and had contingency plans to maintain safe operations. Its Texas-based parent company, APA Corporation, reported $1.4 billion in after-tax profits and $9.2 billion in revenues for the previous year.
The dispute comes as the average price of diesel has climbed to a record £2 a litre. Fuel prices have risen dramatically after months of disruption to global supplies caused by the Iran war. The UK and other leading G7 nations agreed to release 100 million barrels of fuel and oil from emergency stocks.
Energy bills increased on October 1, with households paying 4% more for their energy. The average dual-fuel household is charged £1,723 a year, or about £144 a month. Whether the strike begins later in October 2026, and whether Apache’s contingency plans can keep the affected operations running safely, remains unclear.
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