900 striking construction workers sacked by Total

Almost 900 construction workers at the Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire have been sacked, after taking unofficial strike action.

Last week, around 1,200 workers walked out in a dispute over 51 redundancies at a new plant they were constructing next to the existing site. The strikers claimed Total, which owns the refinery, had broken an agreement not to axe any jobs.

However, the French company denies this claim, and said the cuts were necessary because part of the project had been completed.

In a statement, the firm said: "Total can confirm, with regret, that our contractors have now started the process of ending the current employment contracts for their workforce on the HDS-3 construction project.

"Total repeatedly sought to encourage the workforce to return to work so that proper negotiations can take place.

"This is in line with the union and industry agreed process that negotiations over illegal strikes cannot commence until the workforce has returned to work."

A protest group has gathered outside the Lindsey refinery, according to the BBC.

A Unite spokesman said: "We are extremely concerned about the ramifications of the employers' actions.

"We are urging all parties to get back around the negotiating table to resolve this situation."

GMB general secretary Paul Kenney said: "Total have not tried to resolve this dispute, they sought to escalate it and they have sought to victimise people.

"I'm appealing to Total to actually come to the table and help the unions resolve it."

The unofficial strike at Lindsey had spread to several other plants: Drax and Eggborough in Yorkshire; Ratcliffe in Nottinghamshire; Saltend refinery, near Hull; BOC oxygen plant at Scunthorpe; Fiddlers Ferry in Cheshire; and Aberthaw in south Wales.

Text messages are reportedly being sent to other workers around the country, encourage them to come out on strike in sympathy with the sacked workers, according to the BBC.