RMT has warned there can be “no compromise on safety, investment or workforce protections” in the North Sea, as the union remembers the Piper Alpha disaster on Monday.

On the night of July 6 1988, a series of explosions ripped through the Piper Alpha platform 120 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, killing 165 of its 226-strong crew and two men attempting to rescue survivors, in what remains the world’s deadliest offshore oil disaster. 

The subsequent public inquiry, led by Lord Cullen, uncovered a catalogue of inadequacies in maintenance and health and safety of the platform by its operator, Occidental, and ultimately led to the 1992 Offshore Safety Act.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Thirty-eight years after Piper Alpha, we remember the 167 workers who never came home and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring their legacy is one of safer workplaces for every offshore worker.

“The disaster exposed the devastating consequences of failures in safety management and the dangers of putting commercial pressures ahead of workers’ lives. 

“Those lessons remain as relevant today as they were in 1988.”

Calling on employers across the industry to reflect on the causes of the disaster and give workers the time to remember their fallen comrades, he added: “The offshore industry continues to face significant challenges, from ageing infrastructure to the transition to new forms of energy. 

“Throughout that change, there can be no compromise on safety, investment or workforce protections.

“RMT will continue to campaign for robust regulation, properly empowered safety representatives and the right of workers to speak out on safety concerns without intimidation. 

“That is the best way to honour those who lost their lives on Piper Alpha.”

Aberdeen TUC president, Tommy Campbell added: “Our thoughts are with the families, work colleagues and friends of the 167 workers who were tragically killed on July 6 1988.

“When costs to the employers and profit increases for the shareholders become more important than workers safety then the Piper Alpha fatal accident shows that it’s offshore workers and their families who pay the ultimate price.”