Striking workers were fired at the Lindsay plant in northern England of Total SA, Europe’s largest oil refiner, as a battle over layoffs spread to plants across the United Kingdom. Contract negotiations are taking place between the bosses and union leadership as a wave of job losses is sweeping all sectors of the British economy.
The strike has sparked mobilization throughout the labor movement in England, Scotland and Wales.
The workers’ labor action started June 11, when construction workers at the Lindsay refinery put down their tools in protest over job cuts by contracting companies. About 600 workers employed by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., the main contractor, and Shaw Group Inc., a sub-contractor, lost their jobs. Hundreds are protesting outside the refinery.
Unite, the U.K.’s largest trade union, is meeting with Total bosses in contract negotiations. But the bosses have been stalling, refusing to hold direct talks with unions until the workers returned to their posts.
