Grangemouth strike talks to be held

Written By Unknown on Senin, 14 Oktober 2013 | 15.36

14 October 2013 Last updated at 02:31 ET

The operator of the Grangemouth refinery and petrochemical site is to begin talks with union bosses in a bid to avert a planned 48-hour strike.

Members of the Unite union are planning to walk out on Sunday in a row over the treatment of a union convener.

Ineos, operator of the site, said negotiations would start later at arbitration service Acas, in Glasgow.

Unite said it had been "working tirelessly" over the weekend to secure the talks.

Ineos has warned that the threatened strike "could effectively shut much of Scotland" by disrupting fuel supply.

The strike could potentially disrupt the flow of Brent crude from the North Sea.

Contingency plans

The Scottish and UK governments have been drawing up contingency plans and had called for more talks between the two sides.

Announcing the talks on Sunday night, Ineos Grangemouth chairman Calum MacLean said: "We have always been prepared to go to Acas if this helps to resolve a strike that Grangemouth petrochemical plant and refinery cannot afford.

"We hope to be able to resolve the dispute and address the financial issues that threaten the survival of the entire site."

Previously, the company labelled the union action as "completely irresponsible" while the union accused Ineos of "gunboat irresponsible diplomacy".

Unite Scottish Secretary Pat Rafferty said: "We welcome Ineos's change of heart to join us at Acas.

"We've repeatedly urged the company to sit down with us at the conciliation service to resolve the issues surrounding the unfair treatment of our convenor and the future of Grangemouth.

"Over the weekend we have been working tirelessly to secure these talks and hope that the company will engage in them in an open constructive manner."

Official suspended

Ineos has said it will do all it can to "minimise the harm" of a strike.

The North Sea's Forties pipeline system could be affected because the Kinneil oil processing terminal - where oil from the Forties field comes ashore - relies on Grangemouth for its steam and power.

The dispute centres on union convener Stephen Deans, who was involved in the row over the selection of a Labour candidate in Falkirk.

Labour cleared Unite after an investigation of trying to rig the selection of a party candidate - claims that led to a major row between the union and Ed Miliband.

Mr Deans, who is chairman of both Labour's local constituency party and Unite in Scotland, was suspended by Ineos then reinstated.

Ineos said an investigation by "a third party" into Mr Deans' conduct was due to be completed by 25 October.

It recently launched a survival plan for Grangemouth, warning that the site would close by 2017 without investment and reduced costs. The company said the plant was losing £10m a month.

The Grangemouth refinery processes 210,000 barrels of oil per day and provides most of Scotland's fuel. It is owned jointly by Ineos and PetroChina.


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