Protests at Lindsey Oil Refinery In Jobs Row
Total have made a statement to workers who walked out in a dispute over jobs saying it is "actively encouraging" talks between contractors and the unions. The news came as contract workers gathered outside the Lindsey Refinery, in North Lincolnshire, England.
Around 650 contractors working on a large construction project at the refinery were sacked last week by firms working for Total after a week of unofficial industrial action. The GMB union is organising the huge demonstration with general secretary Paul Kenny as one of the speakers.
Phil Whitehurst, of the GMB onion, said: "I'm expecting thousands of people from all over the country. The amount of people who set fire to their letters yesterday showed what kind of support we have. The boys have made a pledge, they have given me a mandate, we have gone out together and we go back together."
Les Bayliss, assistant general secretary of the Unite union, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "There is a meeting being convened this afternoon from the trade union side with the employers' representatives. We are confident we can find a mechanism to get a return to work, but top of the agenda is the reinstatement of the people who have been sacked, so unless that issue is dealt with, we are going to have a continued problem."
Posted 23/06/09
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