GMB Accuse Senior Managers Of Provoking The Unofficial Dispute At Lindsay By The Layoff Of Original 51 Workers In Breach Of Agreements

GMB today revealed that two senior managers at Lindsay Oil Refinery site Richard Rowlands and Ian Elliot instructed a contractor on site, R Blackett and Charlton, to hire 61 new workers although they knew that the original contractor Shaw were about to make 51 workers, doing exactly the same jobs, redundant three days later. GMB claim that Richard Rowlands and Ian Elliot did this deliberately in breach of agreements and accuse them of provoking the unofficial disputes in the engineering construction industry.

R Blackett and Charlton were brought on site in spring 2009 to be the employer for the 105 new jobs that were created as part of the ACAS brokered deal in the spring. Laying off these 51 workers is in breach of an agreement by Total and the main contractors Jacobs that no workers on the site would lose their jobs as a consequence of IREM taking over part of the work undertaken by the Shaw workers. It was also in breach of the industry wide agreement whereby the Project Joint Council for Lindsay Oil Refinery site, which is co-chaired by Jacob, organises the movement of labour on the site throughout the life of the project.

The trade unions on the site confronted Richard Rowlands and asked him why Jacobs had not requested that R Blackett and Charlton transfer the 51 Shaw workers across as required by the two agreements referred to above. He replied on the record to the trade union officials that he was not prepared to recommend to R Blackett and Charlton “an unruly workerforce who had taken part in unofficial disputes and who won’t work weekends.”

Phil Davies GMB National Secretary, who will be attending the GMB protest demonstration tomorrow at Lindsay (see notes below), said “Every stone you uncover on this job you find another management lie. It is clear from what Richard Rowlands told the union that there never was any intention to redeploy these workers despite the company agreeing to do this just a few short weeks ago. It is little wonder that the workforce castigate the company as being dishonest. This is a clear case of victimisation on a par with the notorious industry blacklists.”

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Contact: Phil Davies, GMB National Secretary on07850 966465 or John Wilson, GMB Senior Organiser on 07966 327985 or Shaun Clarkson on 07738 767561 or GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle on 07921 2898880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.

Notes to Editors: GMB Statements

1 21 June 2009: Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary issued the following statement today 21 June regarding the dispute at the Lindsay Oil Refinery Engineering Construction site. He said “GMB is not walking away from the disgraceful and outrageous behavior of Total at Lindsay. Total would not even consider treating its French workers in this way. GMB will support the locked out and victimized workers and will demonstrate that support with lawful and peaceful protests. GMB call on Total to heed the advice of Lord Mandleson, the Secretary of State for Business and Innovation, for them to get into line and join all the other parties to use ACAS conciliation to resolve this dispute. Total is the only party that is refusing to talk”. A GMB spokesperson added that the unions, including GMB, have organized a protest demonstration/ rally outside the site at Eastfield Road, Immingham, DN 40 3LW from 6.30am onwards on Tuesday 23 June. Union branches are invited to bring their banners. Trades union and labour movement speakers are being invited.

2 Statement by GMB on Friday pm 19th June 2009: Paul Kenny today commented on the news that talks at Lindsay had broken up before Total met the Trades Unions. He said "What happened today regarding the talks with Total is an outrage and a disgrace. GMB and others, including ACAS, were asked by Total early this morning to attend for talks and people traveled from all over to attend the meeting. The union side was available and attended to meet from 10am. So too was ACAS. Total have not had the decency or the courtesy to even turn up to the meeting that they themselves arranged. Total are totally without integrity in this matter having before this refused to meet the union for almost a week. bullying and intimidation is not the way to secure industrial peace."

3 Friday 19th June 2009 6.30 am: GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny reacted to the sacking of the Engineering Construction workers at Lindsay Oil Refinery. He said " GMB condemn the action of Total. Total have for a full week refused to meet the union to resolve the problems through ACAS. It seems pretty obvious that there is a mass case of victimisation taking place here. Locking out the workforce at Lindsay will not solve the problem. It will escalate it."