A leading oil and gas company has cancelled Christmas parties for thousands of workers – because bosses fear upsetting colleagues who are losing their jobs.
Aker Solutions, which employs more than 2,000 people in Aberdeen, called a halt to its annual festive celebrations to show “sympathy” with hundreds of staff in Norway who have been affected by cutbacks.
The company is shedding posts in Stavanger, Bergen, Ålesund, Kristiansund and Trondheim, but not in Aberdeen.
North-east-based staff were reported to be upset at the decision to ditch the festivities.
The oil and gas services firm has gone all out to celebrate the festive season in recent years, hiring specialist party planners to run a family fun day at Ardoe House Hotel.
In 2011, during better times for the firm, up to 200 children and their parents enjoyed an afternoon filled with games, face painting and a pinata at the luxury hotel.
Aker, which is controlled by Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Roekke, has said its business has been affected by a decline in Norway’s offshore “maintenance and modifications market”.
When the cuts were announced this summer, Aker chairman Øyvind Eriksen said the company was doing it all it could to secure alternative work for its staff, although he could not rule out the possibility of layoffs.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed that Christmas parties across all the company’s locations were being cancelled this year.
“We have cancelled Christmas parties this year across the company in sympathy with employees who’ve been affected by the slowdown in the Norwegian maintenance, modifications and operations (MMO) market,” she said.
“While demand for Aker Solutions products and services is generally good, particularly within the deepwater and subsea segments, the MMO business in Norway has been impacted by a slowdown in this particular market and we have adjusted our workforce capacity in this area.”
She added that its UK business outside of Norway is experiencing “growing demand”.
In April the company will move into new offices being built near Aberdeen International Airport.
The company plans to move its employees into the giant office which will include catering facilities, a gym, sports hall, two squash courts, a medical centre, retailing and a creche.