The owners of the Grangemouth oil refinery and petrochemical plant at the centre of an industrial dispute have reported an “extremely positive” response by workers to their survival plan.
Staff have until 18:00 BST on Monday to agree to pay and pension terms put forward by Ineos. The company says its survival plan is designed to avert a possible closure of the plant in 2017.
Calum MacLean, chairman of Ineos Grangemouth, said: “Whilst it’s early days, the initial response to the survival plan has been pleasing. We weren’t expecting many returns before Monday so we are taking this is as a positive development.”
Ineos says it has thus far received 250 positive returns out of a workforce of 1,350.
Unite’s Scottish secretary, Pat Rafferty, batted back the claims, saying: “We have had a flood of forms coming back to us that are rejecting this offer. Members want their union to be sitting negotiating with its employer.
Ineos asks staff to agree to new terms and conditions“They don’t not want terms and conditions imposed on them or to be bullied the way they are getting bullied right now by this employer.”
Grangemouth stopped production last week amidst a bitter row which had centred on Ineos’ alleged treatment of union official, Stephen Deans. The union called off the planned walkout but the site remains shut.
Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, is now calling on Ineos to “fire up the plant”.
