"DISGUSTED" union bosses have hit out as a North Sea firm prepares to axe 130 jobs.
Global offshore oil services firm Archer Drillers is to cut its Scots workforce in a move Unite has branded "shameful".
The decision follows talks about the potential use of the UK Government's Job Retention Scheme, which sees workers placed on furlough and paid 80% of their salaries by the taxpayer.
Payments are limited to £2500 per month, effective from March 1 for a three month period.
Unite says it made "repeated efforts" to "convince" Archer Drillers to use the scheme. However, redundancies are now proposed for the Alba and Captain installations, which are operated by Ithaca, and the Repsol-run Claymore Alpha, Piper Bravo and roving crew operations.
Unite has vowed to "continue to push Archer drillers to reverse this decision" and will consider legal action on behalf of those who lose their jobs.
Its regional officer Shauna Wright said: “Unite Scotland has been informed that Archer has shamefully decided not to utilise the government retention scheme for their workers.
"The company is looking to axe over 130 jobs through redundancy, which is a devastating blow to a highly skilled workforce.
"We urge Archer to reverse this disgusting decision and to immediately look at how the government scheme can be used to support the workers during this difficult time by delaying the redundancies.
"If they don’t do the right thing then Unite will consider all actions in order to support the workforce including the possibility of lodging unfair dismissal cases on their behalf.”
The company has been contacted for comment.
In a letter previously sent to staff, the firm, which has an office in Blackburn, by Aberdeen, said it "regretted" the matter and told staff it would "make every effort" to avoid cuts.
However, Les Thomas, chief executive of Ithaca, said staffing levels and activity would have to be reduced to prevent a coronavirus outbreak amongst teams.
He told Energy Voice single-occupancy and spare cabins would be freed-up to prepare for possible isolation measures and said it was "very hard" to anticipate when activity would increase again.
Suspected cases have been reported on a number of North Sea rigs and the RMT union has cautioned that "tens of thousands" of offshore roles may be at risk due a combination of the pandemic and crude price turbulence related to a production stand-off between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
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