Oil & Gas UK Pleased on Supreme Court Decision on Working Time Directive

Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive, Malcolm Webb, said: “Oil & Gas UK is very pleased that the highest UK Court, the Supreme Court, has upheld the previous rulings of the Court of Session and Employment Appeal Tribunal that time off work enjoyed by UK offshore oil and gas workers more than meets the minimum legal amount of annual leave that employers must provide their employees.

“Typical rotas worked offshore allow for over 26 weeks onshore, away from work, more than meeting the requirement of the Working Time Directive to provide 5.6 weeks’ annual leave.”

Additional information on the Working Time Directive litigation:

• The Supreme Court hearing focused on whether offshore workers were entitled to holiday time in addition to the time they spend onshore on ‘field break’ away from work.
• A typical UK offshore worker works a two week on, two week off rota which means they spend over 26 weeks a year onshore on field break away from work. Therefore, the rota more than meets the requirement of the Working Time Directive to provide 5.6 weeks’ annual leave.
• Other professions where working patterns similarly require holiday time to be taken from breaks away from work include teachers (who take holiday outside of school term times) and sportspeople, such as footballers who have defined working ‘seasons’.

 About Oil & Gas UK

Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its members are companies licensed by the Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters and those who form any part of the industry’s supply chain. It has over 180 members.

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Offshore Nieuws Staff , December 7, 2011