Offshore employees assigned to Neo Next + Energy assets in the UK North Sea are voting on whether to launch industrial action after rejecting a pay proposal.
Britain’s Unite union said the ballot began on 1 June 2026 and will close on 6 July 2026. It covers workers on the Elgin-Franklin and North Alwyn platforms, including control room, production and senior operators, as well as operations and production technicians.
The dispute involves around 50 Unite members. According to the union, the company’s offer was below 3% and was rejected by workers by a wide margin.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said the workers deserved a better settlement from an oil and gas operator with significant profits, adding that the union would support members in their campaign for improved jobs, pay and conditions. Unite Industrial Officer Stevie Davies said the workforce was highly skilled and urged the company to resume talks.
Unite said TotalEnergies E&P UK reported post-tax profit of £70.8 million ($95.4 million) in 2024, compared with £226.2 million ($304.6 million) a year earlier.
The dispute follows a 2025 agreement between TotalEnergies and Unite that delivered a 2.25% rise in basic pay and a 5% increase in offshore allowance for workers on the Elgin-Franklin and North Alwyn platforms.
The Elgin field lies about 200 km east of Aberdeen in the UK North Sea, in a water depth of around 92 m. Production started in 2001, and the field is expected to remain in operation until 2040. Franklin and West Franklin are satellite fields located south of Elgin at similar water depths.
The Alwyn area includes eight producing fields: Alwyn North, Dunbar, Ellon, Grant, Nuggets, Forvie North, Jura and Islay. North Alwyn acts as the area hub, supporting power supply and water injection while receiving oil, gas and produced water through subsea links and pipelines.
North Alwyn comprises North Alwyn Alpha and North Alwyn Bravo, which are connected by a bridge. Dunbar processes production from the Dunbar, Grant and Ellon fields and sends it to Alwyn by pipeline.
