Lindsey oil refinery fires 900 workers
Around 900 workers at the Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire have been sacked, following a series of wildcat strikes.
The workers were constructing a new plant at the oil refinery, when around 1,200 walked out in protest over the loss of 51 jobs. The workers claimed that the refineries owner, Total, had broken an agreement not to make redundancies.
Managers had asked staff to return to work, but late on Thursday confirmed ‘with regret’ hundreds had been sacked, the BBC report.
A group have gathered outside the main gates of the Lindsey refinery, waving placards accusing bosses of greed and urging them to “share out the work”.
General workers union, GMB criticised Total for the sackings. GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny said: “GMB condemn the action of Total. Total have for a full week refused to meet the union to resolve the problems through ACAS (conciliation service). It seems pretty obvious that there is a mass case of victimisation taking place here. Locking out the workforce at Lindsay will not solve the problem. It will escalate it.”
A number of sympathy strikes have been reported at Stanlow Oil Refinery in Ellesmere Port, Aberthaw power station in south Wales and at Ferrybridge power station in West Yorkshire, among others.
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