Bristow UK Pilots Set To Strike

By an affirmative vote of 96.3 percent, members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPAO) voted to authorized a rolling strike against OGP and search and rescue helicopter provider Bristow Group’s UK operations. BALPA will conduct weekly, two-day strikes throughout next month beginning on March 3.

BALPA said it was taking the action due to a lack of progress in negotiating a new contract with the company. “Bristow’s management has failed to listen to employees and offer decent pay deal. We have repeatedly opened the door for them to come forward with a revised offer, but it just hasn’t come,” said Amy Leversidge, BALPA general secretary. “We strongly urge Bristow to start listening to what their workers are telling them loud and clear- to get back to the bargaining table with BALPA with a fair and reasonable pay offer, to prevent further escalation in this dispute.”

Europe is Bristow’s largest offshore energy revenue region, accounting for $267 million through the first nine months of 2023. Bristow provides helicopter for OGP operations in the North Sea from bases at Sumburgh, Norwich, and Aberdeen and is contracted to fly search and rescue (SAR) missions for His Majesty’s Coast Guard, utilizing a mixed fleet of Skorsky S-92A and Leoanrdo AW189 helicopters and employing 360 at ten SAR bases across the UK. Bristow said it “would not allow” the strikes, characterized as an “industrial action,” to impact its SAR operations and has developed “mitigation plans” to cover those operations and its OGP obligations. Bristow’s SAR current contract with the UK runs through December 2026. A ten-year, follow-on contract is valued at $1.9 billion.