Talks hopes dashed in refinery jobs dispute
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Independent Minds
Hopes of a breakthrough in the bitter jobs dispute at an oil refinery collapsed today when expected talks failed to go ahead despite a series of wildcat strikes breaking out across the country.
Downing Street announced this morning that the conciliation services Acas had convened a meeting between management at the Lindsey oil refinery in North Lincolnshire and union leaders following the shock decision to sack almost 650 workers who have been taking unofficial industrial action for the past week.
Strikes spread to several power stations and other sites amid fears of a full blown industrial dispute, with some activists warning power workers could join in, threatening electricity supplies.
Union leaders and Acas officials waited for the talks to start, but it was revealed later that they never got under way.
Acas said in a statement: "We were invited by Total management for potential talks between the parties today.
"After discussions between Total management and their contractors, they decided not to go ahead with the talks. We remain in touch with the parties."
Union sources said their officials waited for four hours before being told Total "no longer felt the need" to have a meeting.
The sacked workers were told they have until Monday to reapply for their jobs.
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Comments
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The firing of the workers appears to breach English Law.
Todays government appears to be in dissaray and is based on previous performance more likely to support the business owners than demand the law be upheld or support its electorate.
What choice do working people have now but to band together and represent themselves through strike action ?
I trust that the people employed in these industries will stand tall, there has been a series of duplicitous action by the employer, all for the sake of a few pounds which appears to be taken directly from the pay packet of their staff on the ground.
The lights may well have to go out, painful as it will be.
As ever the darkest moment comes before dawn.
Also if these workers have been fired how can they go on strike? Clearly they must still have jobs or striking will be pointless.
The dispute flared when a contractor laid off 51 workers while another employer was hiring staff at Lindsey,"
I think the first use of 'contractor' means 'contract worker' and the second use means 'sub-contracted company'.
We have 'contractor', 'worker', 'employer', 'staff'; in other places in the article we have 'workforce'. 'employees', 'contract workers'.
Is it any wonder that the situation is difficult to explain and understand.
The dispute flared when a contractor laid off 51 workers while another employer was hiring staff
Here I interpret this to mean 'one sub-contracted firm laid off 51 workers, another sub-contracted firm was hiring staff'. Again not clear what is happening but perhaps the first firm lost the contract to the second firm, these things do happen (it has happened to me in the past)? If so it is only Total's business in their decision to change subcontracting firms.
Some contracts are specially designed so that they are renewed every day, thus an employer can decide one day not to renew the contract and the employee no longer has a job. However the employee has not been fired, as their contract has ended.
Have you ever heard of the 'Blue Book' agreement? It guarantees certain terms and conditions for construction workers and has only been possible to implement following construction workers taking a stand in the past.
If they had taken your attitude there would be no Blue Book and no Health and Safety or any other rights to speak of. Take a look at the construction workers' lot in Saudi Arabia to get a flavour of what I'm talking about.
Is that the sort of society we want to live in?
Solidarity with the Lindsey strikers!
told that a contract is illiegal if it breaks ENGLISH LAW.
" Laid off " can mean different things. This story needs
expanding... alot.
We've had so much change over the last 30 years I wonder if
anyone knows their basic rights.
Tch, that's a real shame, but then ignorant people often have trouble getting ahead in life...
after all, that is how they end up weeding out inconvenient opinions held by inconvenient posters , everyone that refuses their orthodoxy ,everyone who wants to practice plurality of thought to a degree not comfortable to the guardians of recieved wisdom . no media outlet that operates under licence of the british state , will suffer a dissident to live . (get rid of the gilf site though .)
What a coincidence, 700 is also the number of POLISH WORKERS who walked out in strike in SOLIDARITY with their BRITISH CO-WORKERS in the original strikes last January...
...you know, the strikes where the BNP were kicked off the picket lines because they WEREN'T WANTED there?
You've been asked to leave once, don't try and sneak back in the back way!