Workers in refinery showdown will learn fate today
WORKERS at Scotland’s only oil refinery will today learn of its future amid continued attempts to find a new buyer for the plant.
Ineos, owners of the Grangemouth plant, will address the workforce after a deadline passed for accepting a new pensions deal.
The ongoing dispute between the company and unions has forced the closure of the site for the past week.
Last night, the Scottish Government – which is attempting to find a buyer for the plant if Ineos walks away – even refused to rule out taking the refinery into public hands.
Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe and other shareholders met yesterday to study the response from the workforce to their survival plan, and say the employees will be the first to know of any decision the company makes.
Ineos, which bought the plant from BP in 2006, claims that Grangemouth is losing £10 million a month.
THE future of the Grangemouth oil refinery will be set out by owners Ineos today, as the Scottish Government declined to rule out the prospect of taking it into public hands.
An increasingly bitter dispute between unions and management at the massive plant has led to its closure for the past week, despite government appeals to get it up and running.
Ineos Grangemouth chairman Calum MacLean will address the workforce this morning following the passing of a deadline for accepting new pensions and other terms and conditions.
The Unite union said around 680 of the site’s 1,370-strong workforce had rejected the company’s proposals, which include a pay freeze for 2014-16, removal of a bonus up to 2016, a reduced shift allowance and replacing the final salary pension scheme with a defined benefits scheme.
However, the company had said no jobs cuts were expected, and that employees who supported its plan would receive a payment of up to £15,000.
The Scottish Government confirmed yesterday it is seeking an alternative buyer if Ineos walks away, and last night refused to rule out the prospect of taking the refinery into public hands.
Asked specifically about whether nationalisation would be considered, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said last night: “The situation is developing at a fast pace. The Scottish Government obviously has contingency plans in place but the priority is to get the plant up and running as a matter of urgency.”
Earlier, finance secretary John Swinney appealed to the firm to “fire up” the facility, which has been sitting idle since last Thursday. The refinery and petrochemical facility provides petrol for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England, and is seen as a vital public utility.