This case study reviews the experience of the employee consultation processes that have existed within BP Exploration’s UK continental shelf (UKCS) operations since 1999. As part of overhauled arrangements introduced that year, Employee Communications and Consultation Forums (ECCFs) were set up in each business unit, together with a division-wide UK Employee Communications and Consultation Forum.
BP Exploration includes oil and natural gas exploration and field development and production. Following the divestment of some Southern North Sea assets in 2004, BP Exploration employs some 2100 staff in its UKCS operations, of which around 700 work offshore.
Since the establishment of the ECCF system, BP Exploration has undergone major restructuring. As well as dominating the ECCFs’ agenda in recent years, the restructuring has had significant implications for the consultation infrastructure itself.