Some 25,000 offshore oil and gas workers are set to finally win a right to paid holidays following a five-year Unite-backed battle.

An employment tribunal in Aberdeen ruled that all offshore workers are entitled to paid holidays under the working time regulations.

Offshore workers usually work two weeks offshore followed by two weeks with their families onshore. But many employers have tried to include their holidays as part of the time spent onshore.

The tribunal ruled however, that the paid leave should be deducted at least partly from time which would otherwise be spent offshore. It settled on a pro-rata formula worth two weeks paid leave for workers.

Unite regional officer Graham Tran told @ctivist: ‘Paid holidays for offshore workers is no longer a gift from employers but a legal right. This judgment is a victory for 25,000 workers undertaking tough work under difficult conditions.

Our members have had to wait almost five years for this judgment and the tribunal has given them their full support.’

Graham Tran called on offshore companies to accept the ruling and work with Unite to implement it fairly.

‘While it is accepted that a number of offshore workers get paid time off, the significance of this ruling is that never again can a company withhold paid holiday entitlement from their employees,’ he said.