AROUND 250 Scottish jobs are expected to be lost at energy firm Total following its takeover of another company.
It comes despite claims that the Scottish oil industry has turned the corner after the oil price crash.
The French energy giant Total has now bought Maersk Oil in a deal worth more than £5 billion, making it the second largest operator in the North Sea.
Read more: Brighter times ahead for North Sea oil and gas firms
But jobs will be lost and the firm said it has opened a consultation with employees in Aberdeen on its plans to cut staff and contractor posts and said it would aim to minimise redundancies in the process.
A spokeswoman for Total said talks had been opened with workers.
She said: "Following the acquisition of Maersk Oil we have reviewed our operations in Aberdeen and are now consulting with staff on the future size of our business there.
"We anticipate that this will result in a reduction of around 250 positions held today by staff and contractors.
"Total and Maersk's employees in Aberdeen were told in staff meetings on Thursday March 15.
"Final decisions will only be made after full consultation with staff and their representatives.
"Every effort will be made to minimise redundancies and to find alternative posts in other parts of Total's global business for those staff in Aberdeen whose positions may close."
Read more: Brighter times ahead for North Sea oil and gas firms
Tommy Campbell, of the union Unite, said the benefits of an oil-price increase have passed by the workers.
He said: "It is very disappointing news.
"Given that we've seen the oil prices stabilising, that rather than job losses we would've been hoping that there would have been jobs created.
"We hear the stories all the time that the oil industry is improving when the reality is that the only thing that appears to be improving is the profits of the oil companies and the workers are not sharing the benefits of that unfortunately."
The news comes after recent reports the North Sea oil and gas industry can look forward to brighter times next year with firms adapted to the new normal of relatively low crude prices.
After three years of deep cost cutting in response to the sharp fall in the oil price since 2014, companies are expected to put renewed emphasis on growth in 2018, experts said.
It is claimed the wave of company failures which blighted the area may have about run its course.
However, with firms in the supply chain likely to remain under pressure there is no indication many new jobs are on the way to compensate for the thousands of lay offs seen in recent years.
Read more: Brighter times ahead for North Sea oil and gas firms
Graham Hollis, senior partner for Deloitte in Aberdeen, said earlier that a "sense of cautious optimism" had returned to the North Sea after a very challenging few years, as bodies such as Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce reported signs of recovery in the North Sea towards the end of last year.
Oil and gas production in the North Sea is forecast to grow by five per cent in 2018, but low levels of drilling mean the outlook for future years is "much more uncertain".
The industry body Oil and Gas UK's Business Outlook report showed rising oil prices meant revenues from the sector increased from £16 billion to £21 billion last year, making this the first year since 2013 that the UK Continental Shelf generated enough cash from sales to cover expenditure.
But the report highlighted a "serious concern" about the lack of drilling in the North Sea, with 94 wells started in 2017, the lowest number since 1973.
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