Strikers seal deal
- 00:02:10
- ITN
Strikers seal deal
Strikers at the Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire are going back to work after accepting a deal that earmarks 102 new jobs for British workers. Around 300 strikers at the North Killingholme site unanimously voted in favour of the peace deal proposals drawn up by union officials and power companies. UK workers will now be offered 102 jobs out of 198 posts on the contract awarded to an Italian company and Lindsay refinery staff will end their unofficial strike action and return to work on Monday. Phil Whitehurst, a member of the negotiating committee for the GMB union, said he was delighted with the vote saying: "It was a unanimous decision. It was an excellent vote." He added: "We have now got the chance to go back to work but the fight does not stop here. The fight continues at Staythorpe and anywhere else where an injustice is being done. "There was an uprising here but I don't think it's going to stop. We have started it but I think it's going to carry on elsewhere." There are still threats of similar disputes including one at the Staythorpe power station near Newark in Nottinghamshire. Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, said: "The Government is beginning to grasp the fundamental issues. The problem is not workers from other European countries working in the UK, nor is it about foreign contractors winning contracts in the UK. "The problem is that employers are excluding UK workers from even applying for work on these contracts. The flexible labour market is a one-way street that only benefits the employers." The construction industry's trade association is urging firms to consider hiring local workers in a bid to avoid a repeat of the dispute.
ITN | February 5, 2009
