Posted on 01/30/2009 7:32:37 PM PST by Murtyo
Energy workers in Britain have staged unofficial walkouts as protests over the use of foreign workers spread.
Contractors at Total's Lindsey refinery in Lincolnshire began a protest on Wednesday after a project to build a hydro desulphurisation unit was given to an Italian company.
Unions say the firm has excluded local workers from the contract and has shipped in workers from abroad instead. Advertisement
They argue that it flies in the face of promises made by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2007 to provide 'British jobs for British workers'.
Around 1,000 angry demonstrators gathered at a car park opposite the oil terminal today for a union meeting.
The action also comes as Britain faces a rapid rise in unemployment with almost 2m people now jobless.
A recent opinion poll showed around half of British workers fear losing their jobs over the next year as the economy declines.
Total has said protests at the refinery, which can process 200,000 barrels of crude oil a day, had not affected production.
The French company also said there would not be any lay-offs to the existing contractors as a result of the contract award.
However, the dispute began to spread today as workers at other sites staged unofficial strikes in support.
Hundreds walked out at the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland run by Ineos, around 300 workers demonstrated at a chemical plant in Teeside, and 50 workers protested at the Aberthaw power station in south Wales.
Ineos said production at Grangemouth was unaffected.
Derek Simpson, General Secretary of the Unite union, told BBC radio: 'It's not the question of foreign workers. It is the question that some of these companies ... are saying they will exclusively debar UK workers, they will not consider UK workers under any circumstances.'
He called on Gordon Brown to stop what he said could be illegal action by firms under European law.
Mr Simpson said there were plans for a national lobby of parliament by energy and construction workers, echoing protests across Europe.
More than a million demonstrators went on strike in France yesterday, calling for protection for jobs.
Too little, too late. Have fun in Londonistan.
Don’t be ashamed. Get a bumper sticker that says 46%er.
Remember when Spain, after the Train attacks on March 11 of 2003, went left. It was by a similar margin. It only takes 1 person in 15 or 20 to turn the country from right to wrong.
Things will turn around, Obama and the dims will blow this trust (by the 53% who voted for Obama). The mainstream media is dying. The right will regroup.
About face huh? Once upon a time, they had the world in their sweaty little hands. Now they are just an island of pansies... Who’s next, Australia?
I’m not so sure that the MSM is dying, they helped to get the affirmative action socialist fraud elected.
I find your comment pointless and insulting.
How does this comment contribute to the thread?
What on earth does the cliche ‘Londonistan’ have anything to do with industrial action across the wider UK protesting against the use of foreign workers (Skilled Europeans in this case, Portuguese, Italians etc) when there are unemployed but skilled UK workers who could do the same job.
Specifically, the strikes involve a number of Oil Refineries that are showing solidarity with staff from a Lincolnshire location that brought the point up after a specific decision that affected their site.
Thats ok with me....
When AMERICANS get backed into a corner the first thing they do is BITE YOUR FRIGGIN FACE OFF! Then they may kill you....
Again, I fail to see what contribution you’re making here, aside from making it painfully clear that you hate the British.
Do you troll around FR looking for UK threads that you can get stuck into and post Qwerty vomit?
Seriously man, start acting like an adult.
Regards
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