900 sacked after refinery walkouts
Almost 900 workers at Lindsey oil refinery have been sacked after unofficial strikes at the terminal.
In a statement, Total said striking workers were taking part in an "unofficial, illegal walk-out" that was "repudiated" by both Unite and the GMB unions.
The oil and gas giant said it had asked staff to return to work for negotiations, but confirmed late on Thursday that hundreds of contractors on its HDS-3 construction project had been sacked.
The dismissals follow an escalation of wildcat strikes over jobs earlier on Thursday when workers from several power stations and oil plants across the UK took unofficial industrial action.
The dispute flared a week ago at Lindsey, in Lincolnshire, when a contractor laid off 51 workers while another employer on the site was hiring staff.
About 1,200 contract workers at the terminal have been taking unofficial action all week as efforts were made to convene talks.
The Unite union said it is "extremely concerned" about Total's actions and is understood to be working behind the scenes to facilitate immediate talks with Total's local management.
The statement from Total continued: "All current employees of the contractor workforce who wish to work on the project will be given the opportunity to reapply for positions on the HDS-3 construction project until 5pm on Monday June 22.
"The HDS-3 construction project will remain closed whilst necessary preparatory work is completed to allow the project to be restarted next week. This project is of significant importance to the local area, and will help secure the future of the refinery and local employment for many years to come.
"At all times during the unofficial walkouts by the contractor workforce, Total, Jacobs and the sub-contracting companies have remained committed to the terms and conditions of the national agreement for the unions and construction industries."
