2009 Lindsey Oil Refinery strikes

Labour dispute in the United Kingdom June 2020 January 2023 900 oil refinery workers fired after strike at Lindsey Mass walkouts in UK The 2009 Lindsey Oil Refinery strikes were a series of wildcat strikes that affected the energy industry in the United Kingdom in 2009. The action involved workers at around a dozen energy sites across the UK who walked out in support of other British workers at the Total's Lindsey Oil Refinery. The Lindsey Oil Refinery construction workers went on strike because employment was not offered to them on a £200 million construction contract to build a hydro desulphurisation unit at the site.Unite's statement on the Lindsey Oil Refinery disputeSeptember 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7859968.stm Refinery strikes spread across UK 30 January 2009 BBC News 16 May 2011 January 2009 action On 28 January 2009, approximately 800 of Lindsey Oil Refinery's local contractors went on strike following the appointment by the Italian construction contractor IREM of several hundred European (mainly Italian and Portuguese) contractors on the site at a time of high unemployment in the local and global economy. The action attracted considerable media interest.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/7855752.stm Mass walkout over foreign labour BBC News Online BBC News 28 January 2009 21 February 2014https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/4375422/Hundreds-of-oil-refinery-workers-walk-out-over-jobs-given-to-foreign-workers.html Hundreds of oil refinery workers walk out over jobs given to foreign workers The Daily Telegraph 28 January 2009 21 February 2014http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/82301/Britons-walk-out-in-foreign-jobs-protest Britons walk out in foreign jobs protest Daily Express 29 January 2009 21 February 2014 Workers contended that the strike was in defence of a national agreement determining wages and conditions in the industry.The Guardian 22 June 2009 Lindsey oil refinery dispute deadlock continues https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/jun/22/lindsey-oil-refinery-dispute Keith Gibson, of the GMB, told an early morning meeting of strikers in the refinery car park today: "This is probably the most important dispute the construction industry has seen for 30 years to defend the national agreement." 21 February 2014 The protests were largely portrayed in the British media as being solely about the use of the European Union's Posted Workers Directive to discriminate against British workers,https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/4413349/Wildcat-strikes-QandA.html https://web.archive.org/web/20090204150534/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/4413349/Wildcat-strikes-QandA.html dead 4 February 2009 Wildcat strikes: Q&A Patrick Sawer The Daily Telegraph 1 February 2009 21 February 2014 prompting Unite the Union to make a statement on 4 February to refute xenophobic comments in the media. Since European Union law enshrines the right to the freedom of movement for workers between EU member states, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "When I talked about British jobs, I was talking about giving people in Britain the skills, so that they have the ability to get jobs which were at present going to people from abroad, and actually encouraging people to take up the courses and the education and learning that is necessary for British workers to be far more skilled for the future." Asked for his message to people considering the wildcat strikes, he said: "That that's not the right thing to do and it's not defensible." Italian and Portuguese construction workers, living on barges in nearby docks, were set to starting work there. British trade unions claimed Britons were not given any opportunity to apply for the posts.British PM slams strikers in EU workers row, Agence France Press (31 January 2009) Additional contractors at other sites in the United Kingdom also initiated action as a result of the protests.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/7857996.stm Hundreds join refineries walkout BBC News Online BBC 29 January 2009 21 February 2014 On 30 January, around 700 workers at the Grangemouth Oil Refinery in central Scotland walked out in solidarity with the North Lincolnshire strikers. They were also joined by 50 strikers in Aberthaw, in South Wales, 400 at the ICI site in Wilton, Teesside. and walkouts also took place at BP in Saltend, Hull.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7859968.stm Refinery strikes spread across UK BBC News Online BBC 30 January 2009 21 February 2014 Following several days of talks between representatives from Total and the GMB union which were chaired by Acas, a deal was finally struck on 5 February and workers at the refinery agreed to return to work the following Monday. The deal would see 102 new jobs being created for British workers in addition to the posts awarded to an IREM. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7871657.stm Refinery staff vote to end strike BBC News 5 February 2009 16 February 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090208195207/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7871657.stm 8 February 2009 live An earlier deal that would have seen the creation of 60 British jobs (40 skilled and 20 unskilled) had been rejected. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5659004.ece Deal over British workers at Lindsey refinery is rejected The Times 4 February 2009 16 February 2009 London Sam CoatesSeptember 2024 medicmedic On 16 February an Acas report concluded that Total had not broken the law in employing Italian workers at the refinery. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7892656.stm Acas backs refinery dispute firm BBC News 16 February 2009 16 February 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090218050738/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7892656.stm 18 February 2009 live The strike at Lindsey resumed on 11 June 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/8095182.stm Fresh walkout over refinery jobs BBC News 11 June 2009 17 June 2009 https://archive.today/20090614060426/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/8095182.stm 14 June 2009 live after a subcontractor at the site laid off a number of employees, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/jun/11/lindsey-oil-refinery-industrial-action Lindsey oil refinery workers walk out in redundancies row The Guardian Graeme Weardon 11 June 2009 29 June 2009 London https://web.archive.org/web/20090614100622/http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jun/11/lindsey-oil-refinery-industrial-action 14 June 2009 live later confirmed to be 51. The strike was quickly followed by sympathy strikes at Cheshire's Fiddlers Ferry Power Station on 15 June and Aberthaw on 17 June. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8104839.stm Sympathy refinery strikes staged BBC News 17 June 2009 17 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090620153353/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8104839.stm 20 June 2009 live The strikes escalated on 18 June, with walkouts at Drax Power Station and Eggborough Power Station in Yorkshire and Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire, BP Saltend, and the BOC oxygen plant at Scunthorpe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8106519.stm Wildcat refinery strike escalates BBC News 18 June 2009 18 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090621093321/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8106519.stm 21 June 2009 live June 2009 action On 19 June 2009 nearly 700 construction staff were sacked at the Lindsey Oil Refinery. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5579027/Walk-outs-after-mass-sacking-at-Lindsey-oil-refinery.html Walk-outs after mass sacking at Lindsey oil refinery The Daily Telegraph Paul Stokes 19 June 2009 29 June 2009 London https://web.archive.org/web/20090622195145/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5579027/Walk-outs-after-mass-sacking-at-Lindsey-oil-refinery.html 22 June 2009 live The sackings came following 1,200 workers walking out unofficially at the plant in a jobs dispute. The following plants walked out in sympathy: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8108941.stm Oil plant sackings spark walkouts BBC News 19 June 2009 22 June 2009 https://archive.today/20090622090829/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8108941.stm 22 June 2009 live Stanlow oil refinery, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire Aberthaw, Cardiff Ferrybridge power station, West Yorkshire Staythorpe Power Station, Nottinghamshire Ensus site, Wilton chemical complex, Teesside Drax and Eggborough power stations, near Selby, North Yorkshire Fiddler's Ferry power station in Cheshire Paul Kenny, General Secretary of the GMB trade union, said: "GMB condemn the action of Total. Total have for a full week refused to meet the union to resolve the problems through ACAS. 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."http://www.gmb.org.uk/Templates/PressItems.asp?NodeID=98716 GMB Condemn Total For Sackings at Lindsay Oil Refinery 19 June 2009 GMB 22 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090914234342/http://www.gmb.org.uk/Templates/PressItems.asp?NodeID=98716 14 September 2009 dead Workers at the Lindsey refinery were invited to re-apply for their jobs, with managers at Total giving them a deadline of 17:00 on Monday 22 June 2009 to do so. However, angered by the actions of the management, workers burned their dismissal letters at a protest outside the refinery. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8111648.stm Refinery sackings spark walkouts BBC News 22 June 2009 22 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090624111306/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8111648.stm 24 June 2009 live Around 3,000 workers at other sites around the country also walked out in support of the Lindsey workers. Negotiations between Total and representatives of the GMB union were adjourned on Tuesday 23 June with some progress having been made, but sources said a number of "significant barriers" remained outstanding before the dispute could be resolved. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/strikers-to-take-protest-to-paris-1718667.html Strikers to take protest to Paris The Independent Alan Jones 25 June 2009 27 June 2009 London https://web.archive.org/web/20090627142312/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/strikers-to-take-protest-to-paris-1718667.html 27 June 2009 live Talks resumed on 25 June, and an agreement was reached late that evening to end the industrial action, accepted at a mass meeting outside the refinery on the following Monday. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/deal-ends-oil-refinery-strikes-1720247.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/deal-ends-oil-refinery-strikes-1720247.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Deal ends oil refinery strikes The Independent Alan Jones 26 June 2009 27 June 2009 London The deal included the reinstatement of the 647 workers at the Lindsey site who had been sacked for taking unofficial action, offers of alternative jobs for the 51 workers laid off, and assurances that workers at power stations and oil and gas terminals who walked out in sympathy would not be victimised. On 29 June workers at the refinery voted to accept the deal. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8123545.stm Vote ends refinery jobs dispute BBC News 29 June 2009 29 June 2009 See also International Transport Workers Federation v Viking Line ABP References 30em Category:Labour disputes in the United Kingdom Lindsey Oil Refinery strikes Lindsey Oil Refinery strikes Category:TotalEnergies Category:January 2009 in the United Kingdom Category:June 2009 in the United Kingdom Category:Wildcat strikes