Oil refinery strike continues as deal is rejected

A deal has been rejected by striking union leaders and workers at the Lindsey oil refinery who are protesting over the use of foreign labour.

The deal was proposed by Acas, after chairing talks between union leaders and the refinery's owners, Total.

Union sources told the BBC the deal they were expecting would have offered 50 per cent of the disputed jobs to British workers, but it ended up offering less than 25 per cent.

The strike is still taking place and the dispute has not been resolved, sources close to the refinery have said.

Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Unite, told BBC Breakfast the dispute needed to be resolved but there are further problems "bubbling under" the surface that need to be addressed.

"We need to build in some sort of concept that the jobs that are created by these contracts are open to everyone - to foreign and to UK workers."

He said there were several other similar disputes "bubbling under" at other places.

"It will occur again, and I'm sure it will occur in other countries as well unless there's a realisation that you can't just use the freedom of labour to the exclusion of indigenous labour."

The wildcat strikes started at the Lindsey oil refinery last Wednesday over a contractor exclusively using foreign workers.

Sympathy strikes spread quickly, breaking out in 20 sites around the UK.

The strikes have been criticised for being "xenophobic" by business secretary Lord Mandelson.

Workers' spokesman Phil Whitehurst said they were not striking over the foreign workers but just the opportunity to have a fair deal and be able to apply for the jobs.

"People have said it's racist. It's not. We're not part of the BNP. I've shunned the BNP away from here," he said.

"It's about British workers getting access to a British construction site."

Labour backbencher, Jon Cruddas, backed the strike action and criticised Lord Mandelson's use of language.

He said: "Unfortunately, over the last day or two, we have heard a lot of talk about xenophobia.

"I am afraid that does not respect some of the issues that are at work here and that sort of language builds up the problem rather than acknowledges the nature of the problem."

Labour MP John Mann has put down an early day motion in the Commons "deploring" the use of foreign workers at the Lindsey refinery and praising unions for "exposing this exploitation and the absence of equal opportunities to apply for all jobs".