Refinery workers defend their wages and pensions

Ian Leech

At 6am on 27 April the night shift at Grangemouth oil refinery walked out on strike. A sea of red flags of the Unite union signaled the beginning of a 48-hour stoppage by 1,200 workers that ceased the flow of oil from the North Sea and the distribution of fuel from Grangemouth to petrol stations.

More than 250 workers and supporters took part in a rally at Grangemouth on the first strike day. The mood was angry and determined. The appearance of the owner of the plant, venture capitalist Jim Ratcliffe, at number 25 in the Sunday Times’ Rich List (a personal fortune of £2.3 billion) on the day the strike began, was not lost on the workforce.

At the rally, Unite convenor Mark Lyons explained that when Ratcliffe bought the plant from its previous owners British Petroleum, the pension scheme was in a healthy state. He said that the emergency services would continue to receive fuel and that the plant would still be serviced for Health & Safety by workers. He stated to applause: “This dispute is in recognition of all workers. It is a fight for all pensions!”

Another worker explained how Ratcliffe wants to impose a 6% wage cut by forcing workers to pay a contribution from their wages to their pension from now on.

The industry’s offshore operations shut down for maintenance during June and July, therefore requiring workers to achieve a speedy victory. 

Workers’ leaders have stated that any refusal by management to reconsider their attack on pensions will see further strike action. The scheme represents one of the best currently in existence, where only the employer makes contributions. The workers are determined to defend it.