OFFSHORE oil and gas workers will be balloted on strike action after rejecting TotalEnergies’s “shameful” offer of a pay cut.

The French-owned oil and gas giant offered workers a pay increase of just 1.75 per cent. But with inflation running at almost double that, workers aboard the company’s Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms, rejected it as a real-terms pay cut.

Now the 50 skilled engineers, control room and senior operations staff, and technicians will be balloted for strike action by their union, Unite, in a bid to secure a fair settlement.