Scottish offshore workers with Chinese state-owned oil company CNOOC are to benefit from a pay deal worth up to £3,000, trade union officials have announced.

In a statement yesterday, trade union Unite said over 100 members employed by CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited have backed a pay deal including a 3.25% increase in basic pay and a £600 enhancement to the offshore allowance.

The overall package is equivalent to an increase of just under £3,000 for some workers including electrical, instrument, mechanical and production technicians.

It follows a previous uplift of up to £8,000 which was announced last year, including a 5.5% increase in basic pay, which was seen as having averted potential strike action.

CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited is the UK subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), one of China’s largest state-owned energy companies. The company has operated in the UK North Sea since 2013, when it acquired Nexen in a $15.1 billion deal – China’s largest-ever foreign takeover at the time.

Its Scottish operations are centred on the Buzzard field, the largest producing oil field in the UK North Sea, alongside the Scott and Golden Eagle platforms. The company employs several hundred workers directly and through contractors.

Unite and CNOOC signed a trade union recognition agreement covering workers on the Buzzard, Scott and Golden Eagle platforms in May 2023.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite has delivered another win for CNOOC workers. It will help deliver better jobs, pay and conditions on the Buzzard, Scott, and Golden Eagle platforms.”

Unite industrial officer Stevie Davies added: “Unite continues to achieve successes for our members in the offshore sector. We have delivered for our highly-skilled CNOOC membership year after year and this is a deal we are pleased to have successfully negotiated with the company.”

CNOOC has been approached for comment.