A 24-hour strike at three of Total’s British offshore oil and gas platforms started at 05:00 GMT on Aug. 6, as planned, a union representative from Unite said.

Unite’s regional officer Wullie Wallace said that talks were planned for Aug. 9 between its members and Total to discuss pay and a new rota scheme.

The workers began a series of 24-hour and 12-hour strikes on July 23. The next 24-hour strike is planned for Aug. 20 and the next 12-hour strike at Aug. 13. The workers have also stopped overtime. The affected platforms are Alwyn, Elgin and Dunbar.

A spokeswoman for Total did not have an immediate comment.

The strike means that production at the fields for that period will be shut down.

The three fields’ oil production contributes about 45,000 to 50,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) to the Forties and Brent Blend crude streams.

Forties and Brent Blend are key oil grades used to set the dated Brent benchmark that prices more than half of the world's oil trades. The fields also contribute about 10 percent of Britain's total natural gas output.

About 45 out of 60 Total workers are on strike at the three platforms, Wallace said, outside contractors also work at the fields but they are not involved.

Offshore