Members of UK unions Unite and GMB employed by Aker Solutions on the Mariner project have voted to initiate strike action.

Members of UK unions Unite and GMB employed by Aker Solutions on the Mariner project have voted to initiate strike action.

Aker Solutions told Rigzone that this was a “disappointing development” and revealed that it will “seek further discussions with the unions regarding their proposed steps to resolution”.

Unite said the dispute is in relation to standby payments from recruitment until mobilization, turn beds payments and training expenses.

The union revealed that 83.4 percent of its members, on an 80.1 percent turnout, rejected a final pay, terms and conditions offer made by Aker management. Unite said the prospective industrial action is likely to take place between early August to early October. An overtime ban will also be in place during this period, Unite said.

“The strength of feeling amongst our members at Aker is rock solid and resolute,” Unite Regional Officer, John Boland, said in a union statement.

“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to resolve this dispute but the actions of Aker so far can only lead us to the conclusion that industrial action is all but inevitable,” he added.

Equinor, which describes Mariner as one of the largest upstream investments in the UK in the last 10 years, is the operator of the project with 65.11 percent equity, according to its website. Co-venturers are JX Nippon (20 percent), Siccar Point (8.89 percent) and Dyas (6 percent).