UK North Sea Workers Give "Overwhelming" Support for Strike

Trade unions Unite and GMB said members working offshore in Britain's North Sea oil and gas industry had shown overwhelming support for industrial action in a consultative ballot which closed at 1200 GMT on Friday.

Unite's members covered by the Offshore Contractors' Agreement delivered a 93.5 percent vote in favour of proceeding to a strike ballot, increasing the likelihood of North Sea strike action for the first time in a generation, the union said.

GMB's members also voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of an official ballot for strike action over proposals from clients and contractors to change the terms and conditions of employment, GMB said.

Reporting by Claire Milhench