1500 energy workers in Scotland walk out over 'discrimination'

Published on Thursday 29 January 2009 18:16

MORE than 1500 workers in Scotland were on strike today over the use of foreign workers on a multimillion-pound construction project.

Mechanical contractors at seven sites, including Grangemouth oil refinery and three power stations, have taken part in the unofficial action, union officials said.

They acted in support of workers in England who walked out on Wednesday over the decision to bring in hundreds of Italian and Portuguese contractors to work on a new 200 million plant at the giant Lindsey oil refinery in North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire.

Seven hundred BP and INEOS workers in Grangemouth oil refinery took the action after a union meeting held at 8am today.

Bobby Buirds, a regional officer for Unite in Scotland, said: "The argument is not against foreign workers, it's against foreign companies discriminating against British labour.

"If the job of these mechanical contractors at INEOS finishes and they try to get jobs down south, the jobs are already occupied by foreign labour and their opportunities are decreasing.

"This is a fight for work. It is a fight for the right to work in our own country.

"It is not a racist argument at all."

Mr Buirds said mechanical contractors at six other Scottish sites, in addition to Grangemouth, were also on unofficial strike.

About 500 walked out at Scottish Power's Longannet power station, and about 100 at its Cockenzie power station, while 80 stopped work at British Energy's Torness power station.

At the Shell St Fergus gas processing plant in Aberdeenshire, about 50 workers downed tools, while about 100 stopped work at ExxonMobil's petrochemicals plant in Mossmoran in Fife, as did some workers at the Shell plant in Mossmoran.

Unions will hold another meeting of Scottish shop stewards in Glasgow this afternoon, and a further meeting on Monday, he said.

There was no demonstration at Grangemouth today.

A spokesman for INEOS said: "We are very disappointed that the contractors have chosen to walk out, especially as we've got a good working relationship with them.

"Our plants are operational and there is no issue as regards safety, and there will be no impact on production levels at all."

He said not all the contractors at Grangemouth are covered by the National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry agreement, which agrees common terms and conditions for contractors across the UK, and some were still working as normal.

The Grangemouth strike included about 100 workers with contractors employed by BP, the oil firm said.

They work in the Kinneil terminal – part of the Grangemouth complex where North Sea oil from the Forties pipeline comes ashore.

A BP spokesman said: "The workers are not involved in day-to-day operations and the Forties pipeline system will continue to operate as normal."

The Grangemouth refinery was sold by BP to INEOS in 2005.

The dispute at the Total Lindsey oil refinery erupted after Total put the contract to build the unit, which will allow the refinery to process crude oil with more sulphur, out to tender.

Total said it hopes the plant will give the refinery the capacity to process oil even when North Sea reserves begin to dwindle.

Five UK and two European companies tendered for the work, which was awarded to the Italian company Irem on the basis that it was supplying a permanent workforce.

It is understood 100 Italian and Portuguese workers are on the site. They are expected to be joined by 300 more next month.