Fahey's undertaking to review oil exploration terms welcomed

SIPTU has welcomed a commitment by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, to review the 1992 exploration terms awarded to oil and gas companies if there is a successful outcome to this year's oil drilling programme.

The Minister made the commitment on a visit late last week to the West Navion drill ship 100 miles off Donegal, which is working for Enterprise Oil on the Errigal prospect. The promise reflects a significant shift in his position since taking office over a year ago, when he described calls by SIPTU for such a review as "codswallop".

Mr Padhraig Campbell, a SIPTU spokesman, said the Minister's statement followed a promise he made to the union at recent meetings.

However, Mr Campbell said the union was still extremely concerned that the oil companies had given only a token response to a request by the Minister for the provision of opportunities offshore for highly skilled Irish-based oil-rig workers.

So far a small number of low-paid, low-skilled jobs had been offered for Statoil's Sarsfield Prospect drilling operation off the Kerry coast, which begins in May, Mr Campbell said. No offer had been made in relation to the Mayo or Donegal operations of Enterprise Oil, or to Marathon's drilling programme in the Celtic Sea.

An initiative by the Irish Offshore Operators' Association to work with FAS on providing Irish jobs has been dismissed by SIPTU as "mere window-dressing" to placate the Minister and Irish public opinion.

The union has also expressed "alarm and surprise" that the chairman of its national offshore committee has been refused a job on Statoil's Kerry operation, in spite of his being one of the most skilled and experienced offshore workers in Ireland.

SIPTU is calling for a withdrawal of drilling rights for companies which refuse to hire Irish-based oil-rig workers, Mr Campbell said.

"It is imperative, in particular in relation to the Corrib North gas find, that there is an introduction of a windfall tax because the find is now much bigger than was first intimated by the consortium developing this massive gas field," he said.