Offshore protection for oil rig families

Victorian oil rig workers have opened an embassy to protect 
wives and families from attacks by contractors for a Texas-based 
multinational. In a move that is being strongly resisted by 
Gippsland based workers and their families, Esso, part of the 
Exxon-Mobil group, is attempting to shift workers onto a 14-day 
roster.

"Workers are already missing their kids' birthdays and grand 
finals", says John Parker from the Offshore Workers Embassy. 
"With this move, kids will start to miss their dad and rely on 
not having a dad around.

"It puts a huge strain on the family and the fathers get 
isolated."

Mr Parker says the Longford embassy is a place for oil rig 
workers and their families to bring their grievances, to get 
represented and to get information.

Contractors for Esso, including Lothways TBS Pty Ltd, are being 
pressured to fall in with the Esso plan to shift from the current 
seven day on/seven day off arrangements to 14 days on/14 days 
off.

A move by Esso contractors Kellogg, Brown and Root and Corke 
Instrument Engineering to introduce a non-union collective 
agreement including the roster changes, was rejected when 96 
percent of workers voted down the change in a secret ballot.

"This is yet another signal that these changes are unacceptable 
to working men, many of whom are fathers, who should not be 
forced to be away from the families for a fortnight each month", 
says Australian Workers' Union (AWU) National Secretary Bill 
Shorten.

An AWU survey earlier this year found 90 percent of workers' 
wives opposed the 14-day rosters.

Workers represented by the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union 
(AMWU) and Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) 
have entered talks with a conciliator in an attempt to resolve 
the dispute.

"The longer we're sitting around the campfire the more we're 
hearing about what workers employed by these contractors have to 
put up with", said the CFMEU's John Parker. "They are forced to 
share protective equipment, they are out in wet weather hanging 
over the ocean dealing with storms and sleeping four to a 14 x 14 
foot room.

"Sharing these rooms with three other blokes for 14 days would 
not be pleasant."

Mr Parker said one worker described oilrig conditions as "like a 
prison ship".

The Embassy is also investigating allegations of workers being 
exposed to asbestos on ESSO oil platforms.

The embassy has erected a Christmas tree and is vowing to stay 
until problems are resolved.