Grangemouth oil refinery turned its taps off in Scotland yesterday, for the first strike on site for 80 years.
The 48 hour strike saw 100 refinery workers protest over an on going dispute for their pension trust. The strike has lead to the North Sea’s largest tap turning off for the first time since the Second World War.
Despite worries of shortages across Scotland, only a few Petrol stations ran dry and had to introduce a £20 fuel ration. However emergency shipments of 65,000 tonnes of fuel were brought from ports such as Rotterdam and Gothenburg which arrived in Scotland yesterday.
Suspending oil and gas production will cost the oil industry £50m a day, losing the treasury £25m a day in revenue. With fears of the strike spreading nationally and increasing oil prices worldwide, John Hutton, the business secretary said “It is in no one’s best interests that this dispute escalates in any way, shape or form”.
Grangemouth workers insist that Ineos, a majority shareholder and the worlds third largest chemicals company, are taking private profit, and claiming that their pensions are nothing in comparison to what Ineos are offering.
The company is stated that workers are earning up to £60,000 a year plus benefits, yet Steve Mancini, a shop worker whose family works for Grangemouth insisted that the actual figure is closer to £40,000 and said “It’s very sad for everybody but our arguments are fair and just.”
Grangemouth is currently making at least £250m a year in profit and wish to increase that to £500m.
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