Total: 647 Contract Workers Fired At UK Lindsey Oil Refinery
June 19 2009 - 10:05AM
Dow Jones News
Total SA (TOT) said Friday 647 contract workers at its U.K.
Lindsey oil refinery have had their contracts terminated after
staging unofficial strike action this week.
The number of workers thought to be impacted by the decision to
cut jobs, however, had been estimated by the Unite union at closer
to 900.
Unofficial strike action started at the 200,000-barrel-a-day
Lindsey oil refinery last week following a dispute with a
subcontractor over 51 layoffs, with as many as 1,200 contract
workers walking off the site. Total said production hasn't been
impacted.
The dispute has sparked a number of unofficial strikes and
protests at other energy facilities across the country.
Some 450 maintenance and construction contractors downed tools
at Royal Dutch Shell's (RDSA) Stanlow refinery in Cheshire,
northwest England, earlier Friday, following around 360 contract
workers at two of RWE AG's (RWE.XE) U.K. power stations.
A number of workers at British Energy's Hinkley Point B nuclear
power station also walked out earlier Friday, joined by around 150
contractors at E.ON AG's (EOAN.XE) Ratcliffe power plant.
Total said contract company Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC)
had informed workers of the decision Thursday. Workers have until
1600 GMT on June 22 to reapply for their jobs.
-By Angela Henshall, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9285;
angela.henshall@dowjones.com