170 Apache Workers Escalate Strike Amid Concerns Over UK North Sea Flows
Key Facts
Unite said on Tuesday, 3 November, that about 170 offshore workers at Apache would escalate their strike in a dispute covering jobs, pay and working conditions. The next announced 24-hour stoppage is scheduled from 4 to 5 November, following an earlier stoppage on 21 October. The union said the new round was part of ongoing industrial action, while the company said worker safety and staffing levels would determine how it handled any stoppage. The move puts the company's North Sea facilities at risk of another suspension of work, after Apache shut its offshore assets during the previous round. The strike's potential impact is also drawing attention because of the Forties Pipeline, which receives flows from several offshore oil and gas fields.
Apache says its offer includes a 4% pay increase, in line with what was awarded to non-union employees earlier in the year. The company described its offer as fair and competitive within the sector, Reuters reported. The dispute, which Unite has described as being over jobs, pay and working conditions, continues, with the available statement providing no further details of the union's demands or the negotiating process. The proposed increase is at the heart of the ongoing dispute, while no agreement to end it before the strike date has been announced in the available information. Apache says it will assess staffing levels and workers' competence on each platform during any new action.
The company added that it would continue operating wherever it was safe to do so, meaning the decision on whether to keep working would be made platform by platform based on an assessment of crew levels and competence. If it did not consider operations safe, it said it would halt work in an orderly manner. That consideration prompted Apache to shut its North Sea offshore assets during the 21 October strike, the company said, adding that the step was taken to ensure worker safety. Operations resumed safely and without incident after that round, Reuters reported. During the previous stoppage, other producers continued to use the Forties Pipeline, distinguishing the impact of the company's decision on its assets from the continued flows of other producers through the system.
The Forties Pipeline is significant because of the breadth of its supply network: it receives flows from more than 80 North Sea oil and gas fields, as well as from the St Fergus gas terminal. Unite said the pipeline handles about 29% of Britain's oil and 30% of its gas, separate shares for oil and gas. In the context of the previous round, the union said seven Apache assets linked to the Forties and Beryl fields would have been affected by the strike announced for 21 October. Unite warned at the time of a possible disruption to the Forties Pipeline, a warning attributed to the union. Apache, meanwhile, shut its assets during the previous round as a safety precaution, while other producers continued using the pipeline.
Unite had said a 24-hour stoppage was scheduled for 21 October, with another stoppage of the same duration set to begin from 4 to 5 November if the dispute was not resolved. The new date therefore follows the previous round, with the available information indicating no settlement between the parties. At the parent-company level, APA scheduled the release of its third-quarter 2026 financial and operating results for 5 November at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The release is scheduled for the day the planned strike round ends, according to the announced dates. The results are expected to coincide with continued monitoring of the dispute's impact on Apache's offshore operations, while the company said operating decisions would remain tied to assessments of safety and crew competence.