UNITE has secured a new union recognition deal with Wilson James Security at Sullom Voe oil and gas terminal on the Shetland Islands.

The agreement will cover about 20 workers contracted to provide safety and security services for drilling company EnQuest at the key industrial site.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The new recognition agreement which Unite has successfully negotiated for our members at the Sullom Voe terminal is an important step forward.

“It will help to drive up the standard of jobs, pay and conditions for the security workers.”

In a sector notorious for its resistance to trade union organising, the deal represents the latest in a series of victories for Unite, ranging from pay, conditions and shift patterns to the recent recognition agreement signed with Repsol Resources to cover 40 workers at the Flotta Oil terminal in the Orkney Islands.

Unite industrial officer Isabella Sutherland called the deal “a significant development.”

She said: “We are pleased that the agreement was voluntarily negotiated with the company and Unite is now better able to effectively represent the workers in future wage negotiations.”