More than a thousand oil workers have returned to work in Azerbaijan after staging a 24-hour strike in protest at their pay and working conditions. The workers, employed by US oil services firm McDermott, barricaded themselves in a factory near Baku used to construct oil rigs for BP. The workers claimed they have been stopped from forming a trade union and have no access to healthcare. McDermott said it would investigate the workers\' grievances. About 1,500 staff took control of the plant, 40 miles from Baku, on Tuesday and refused to allow management into the site. The fabrication plant is used to build offshore oil rigs and other equipment for BP drilling operations in the oil-rich Caspian Sea. The staff claim they are paid far less than foreign workers in the country\'s booming oil industry, earning about $2 an hour. They also allege that they have no access to health insurance or compensation if they are injured at work. A BP spokesman said it had been told staff returned to work on Wednesday while McDermott had agreed to investigate the workers\' concerns and report back within a week. McDermott had previously said that the strikers\' claims over a lack of insurance were not true. The dispute is politically sensitive since the oil industry is a major source of employment and income for the country. Critics claim that Western companies have too much power over the industry while ordinary Azeris are not benefiting from the country\'s extensive oil resources. The BBC correspondent in Azerbaijan said that although the current strike action had ended, she believed trust had broken down between workers and management and further disputes were possible. The strike illustrated the growth in anti-Western sentiment in the country, she added. (BBC)