Refinery workers rally

Lindsey oil refinery workers rallied outside of parliament this morning (Sept 3) to call for urgent government action to keep the site operational and prevent it from being split off into parts.

The site supports 450 directly employed workers plus a further 500 contract jobs and potentially thousands in the supply chain. As well as being vital to North Lincolnshire’s regional economy and local communities, the refinery plays a critical role in the UK’s energy security.

Potential buyers have expressed interest in the site, which went into administration in June following serious mismanagement by its former owners.

Since operations halted at the refinery, which produces petrol, diesel and jet fuel, the UK’s domestic fuel supply has reduced by at least 10 per cent. Without the refinery, the UK is more reliant on imported fuel – impacting the country’s energy security and leaving consumers exposed to price rises at the pump.

Addressing the workers and their supporters, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The government must take decisive action to secure a sale and protect jobs at the refinery.”

“If it closed it would be the second British refinery that we have lost in less than a year. This would not be acceptable. It is a disgrace that the government still has no plan to transition oil and gas workers into green jobs and we can’t let go of one rope before we have hold of another.

“The Lindsey refinery is critical national infrastructure; it supplies 10 per cent of the UK’s domestically produced fuel and plays a vital role in the local economy. Its future must be guaranteed.”

The rally outside parliament was just the latest action in Unite’s campaign to save Lindsey Oil Refinery, and follows a march in Cleethopes last month and protests outside Lindsey Oil Refinery and Grimsby Town Hall in July. 

For the latest on the campaign go to the Unite for a Workers Economy page.

Photos from the rally are below.

By Keith Hatch

Photos by Mark Thomas