Unite demands info on jobs as Wood Group talks further cost savings

Unite, UK’s largest offshore union, has repeated its calls for transparency on jobs, in relation to the proposed merger of oilfield services giants Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler.

Wood Group on Wednesday said it expects for its cost savings stemming from the AFW takeover to be 36 percent higher than previously estimated. These would be achieved through quantified cost synergies, efficiencies and reduction of duplicate costs across the board.

Following the announcement the union has called for more info on what these cost savings mean for the jobs in the UK.

Unite regional officer John Boland said: “We have met with Wood Group since the announcement of their merger with Amec Foster Wheeler, and asked them specifically about the possible impact. But we have still not been given details of the company’s plans on jobs.

“It is incredibly disappointing that the company are making public statements about efficiency savings, without first speaking to workers and their representatives about what that means. We need full transparency and consultation over any future changes that will affect staff.”

Offshore Energy Today has reached out to Wood Group seeking more info on any potential job cuts.

This is what the company said in an emailed response: “We are not able to comment on any expected cuts at this at this time as we are still undertaking our assessment of the potential integration but there will be some operational and administrative restructuring required.  However both businesses are people businesses, we therefore attach great importance to the skills, capabilities and experience of our workforce as they are the key to our success. The purpose of the deal is to target growth and new markets which in the longer term is an employment creator.”

Offshore Energy Today Staff