Unions have secured jobs for the 51 workers made redundant at Lindsey Oil refinery – as well as reaching a deal last week which will see all 647 workers who staged ‘wildcat’ strikes reinstated.
The workers were sacked after they started an unofficial protest at the plant in North Lincolnshire on 11 June, after a sub-contractor cut 51 jobs while other areas on the site were still recruiting.
The move sparked wildcat strikes across England, where it was estimated that up to 4,000 workers took part in official action.
The Lindsey plant was hit by wildcat strikes earlier this year in a row about the use of foreign labour.
News editor analysis
Employers are well within their rights to sack staff who stage unofficial protests.
If workers walk out in sympathy with other workers being made redundant, they effectively give up all their employee rights.
The key to the latest Lindsey development is whether the reinstated workers will re-join their employer with the same terms and conditions as they had previously.
Legal experts warned last week that firms could look to reduce pay and conditions when they re-hire sacked workers. This would save firms crucial money in the economic climate, but would have to be weighed up against long-term retention issues and damage their reputations.
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