New North Sea rota changes are expected to be introduced to offshore workers as of January 2016.

Shell announced today after ongoing consultations they are to implement a three on/ three off rota as part of industry streamlining.

It is expected this will lead to a reduction in offshore head count as part of the shift change.

Shell now follows suit with BP, EnQuest and several other North Sea operators as companies struggle to remain competitive within the current industry downturn.

A Shell spokeswoman said: “We are currently in consultation with our staff on changes to offshore shift patterns and will not comment further while the consultation is ongoing”.

Shell UK, reduced its work force by 250 last year and announce it was again to downsize by a further 250 earlier this year.

Both GMB union and Unite have proposed to members three weeks on and three weeks off should be implemented offshore. Jake Malloy, regional organiser of the RMT Union in Aberdeen, has already received several emails from concerned employees regarding the move. He added any move will lead to job cuts.

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