RMT reacts to Shell’s “eye-watering” profits

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“Profits and dividends on this scale when millions of people cannot heat or eat a square meal in their homes demonstrates the remorseless and unjust nature of this industry.”

Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary

By the RMT Press Office

Oil and gas company giant Shell made over £32bn in profits in 2022 – the highest in its 115-year history.

Reacting to the eyewatering figures, Offshore workers union, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Profits and dividends on this scale when millions of people cannot heat or eat a square meal in their homes demonstrates the remorseless and unjust nature of this industry. 

“We’ve made some progress through the Energy Services Agreement but pay and conditions for the thousands of offshore oil and gas contractors who actually do the work to keep oil and gas flowing from under the North Sea have not improved much since the collapse of the oil price in 2014, since when over 200,000 jobs have been lost. 

“Yet for the likes of Shell, BP and Total it’s back to record profits and dividends. 

“This industry is out of control, and it must be taxed, regulated and owned in the public interest, or private individuals will sail off to their tax havens with the profits generated off the backs of our members taking with them any notion of a Just Transition for workers to a Zero carbon economy.”


Featured image The Shell Perdido deepwater offshore production platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo taken by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement BSEE licensed under a public domain license.

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