A consultative ballot is to be carried out by the Unite union amid a pay dispute for North Sea drillers.

The union said talks have broken down with the United Kingdom Drilling Contractors Association (UKDCA), which acts on behalf of several major drilling firms.

A two percent pay increase has been offered for workers, backdated to Jan 1, but issues remain over holiday pay.

The result of the consultative vote, to gauge whether members would be willing to take industrial action in pursuit of a better pay increase, will be known on May 8.

The association makes up several drilling firms including Diamond Offshore and Transocean.

Regional officer John Clark said: “There have been a number of meetings between Unite and the UKDCA for just short of a year now over the pay offer with little progress.

“Unite is clear that the drilling companies are lagging behind on pay compared to those members working under other offshore agreements such as the Offshore Contractors Association.

“We will be conducting a consultative ballot over the coming weeks because our members covered by the UKDCA deserve better, and we cannot ignore the delay tactics any longer.”