Collective Bargaining in the Offshore Catering Industry

The process of industrial relations which has developed in the offshore catering industry is not significantly different from that evident in conventional onshore‐based unionised industries. Data obtained as part of a survey of industrial relations in the Grampian region (1982) covering five of the nine offshore catering companies in the Northern Sector of the North Sea, show that such companies operate in an atypical industrial environment represented by unusual work/lifestyle patterns. A two‐tier system has evolved to meet the communication requirements of a transient and scattered workforce: the management‐workforce relationship in offshore installations being informal, while the onshore relationship between management and trade union officials is far more formal. While the adoption of collective bargaining in this industry is a fairly recent happening, it can be readily explained in terms derived from “traditional” British industry.