Oil refinery dispute still has 'hurdles to overcome'
Jun 25 2009 by Graeme Brown, Birmingham Post
Talks aimed at resolving the bitter row over energy jobs will resume today amid more wildcat strikes across Britain.
Negotiations over the sacking of almost 650 workers at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire were adjourned last night after five hours, with some progress being made.
But sources said a number of “significant barriers” remained before the dispute, involving unions, contractors and the refinery’s owners, Total, could be resolved.
“Some progress has been made but there are a number of hurdles to overcome,” said one source close to the talks.
Unions are demanding the reinstatement of the sacked workers and guarantees of no victimisation of activists involved in sympathy strikes, as well as jobs for 51 employees laid off at Lindsey earlier this month.
Text messages were sent to workers yesterday, urging them to continue taking industrial action, adding: “More is needed to finish this dispute to show we will not take this abuse any longer.
“All sites must show their support. This fight is far from over, brothers.”
Up to 4,000 workers at power stations and oil and gas terminals across Britain have been taking unofficial action this week, with many planning to hold meetings tomorrow or Monday to hear if any progress has been made in the talks.
Among those to take part are the Drax power station in Selby, Yorkshire, along with others in Milford Haven, west Wales, Longannet in Fife, and on Teesside.
A spokesman for the South Hook liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Milford Haven said that despite strike action, normal operations remain unaffected.
“I can confirm that approximately 230 of the contract construction workforce working on the build of phase two at the South Hook terminal near Milford Haven walked off site for the third consecutive day,” he added.
About 900 contract workers at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, who have been taking unofficial action since Monday, returned to work yesterday morning.
The GMB union, which has launched a £100,000 hardship fund to support strikers, is pressing ahead with a national ballot of thousands of workers in the industry in a long-running dispute over jobs and conditions, first announced earlier this month.
GMB leader Paul Kenny said the start of the ballot was about a week away. Unite is also planning a national ballot of its members.
