Oil-rig workers settle deal

Onshore oil-rig workers have voted to accept a deal hammered out last night, saying it addresses all their claims.

Some 100 workers at exploration sites in Taranaki and Taupo walked off the job on Friday over the failure to settle their multi-employer collective agreement in three months of negotiating.

On Sunday, the Employment Court ordered them to return to work pending a full injunction hearing tomorrow, but talks last night came up with a deal that workers today voted unanimously to accept.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said that workers had won a pay rise of five per cent for 18 months, backdated to September 1, and a substantial allowance for working with new hazardous substances like synthetic mud.

Other wins included a 10 per cent increase in the level of redundancy compensation, an agreement that workers would be paid 12 hours’ pay if they were required to attend training in their weeks off the rig, and the provision of hot meals for all workers.

“For the first time in 20 years, waged workers will get hot meals at work,” he said.

“Historically, hot meals were available for salaried workers only. This is a real win for the waged workers.”

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