Nine hundred workers at the Lindsey oil refinery have been sacked for staging unofficial walkouts and industrial action, Unite union claimed last night.
Fresh wildcat strikes are expected today following a week-long dispute where a contractor laid off 51 workers while another employer on the site was hiring staff. About 1,200 contract workers at the site, owned by Total, have been taking unoffical action all week.
A Unite spokesman said: “We are extremely concerned about the ramificiations of the employer’s actions. We are urging all parties to get back around the negotiating table to resolve the situation.”
The sackings came after an estimated 2,000 workers across the UK took unofficial industrial action in support of the Lindsey workers.
Total said the unofficial walkouts were illegal. In a statement seen by Sky News, the oil giant confirmed: “The contractor workforce has been engaged in an unofficial, illegal walkout since last Thursday, 11 June. This action has been repudiated by both Unite and GMB unions.”
It added that Total had repeatedly sought to return the staff to work so that negotiations could take place.
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The contract workers will be able to reapply for their jobs next Monday (22 June).
The Lindsey refinery was hit by strikes earlier this year in a row over British jobs for British workers.
