Talks aimed at averting a strike at Scotland’s only oil refinery have broken down.
Operator Ineos and the Unite union held two days of talks at conciliation service Acas in a bid to halt the strike by workers at the Grangemouth facility this Sunday (27 April).
Unite called the action in protest at plans by Ineos to close its final salary pension scheme to new workers and to make other changes to its pensions. A union spokesman said: “Unite’s negotiators were disappointed with the company’s refusal to withdraw controversial pensions plans and, therefore, the two-day strike will go ahead.”
Ineos said the union’s rejection came hours after Ineos offered to take all changes to the existing pension scheme “off the table”.
Chief executive Tom Crotty said: “We have done everything we can to help resolve this dispute. Our latest offer to suspend all proposed changes to the existing pension scheme is just another example of us bending over backwards to bring this conflict to an end.”
In a statement, Acas said that although the parties have not come to an agreement, time had been spent addressing the issue of the safety and integrity of the site.
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