Major walkout at Stanlow Oil Refinery as 450 workers to go on strike

Unite the Union has warned of 'major disruption' at the site, which produces 16 per cent of the UK's road transport fuel

Around 450 workers at the Essar Stanlow oil refinery are set to go on strike. Strike action over pay will begin this week after the Unite union announced the walkout today (July 17).

The workers, all construction workers employed by contractors at Stanlow, are set to stage a 48-hour walkout beginning Tuesday (July 18), with further strikes taking place on 25 and 26 July and 1, 2, 8 and 9 August. Additionally, a continuous overtime ban, inclusive of call out and stand by, begins today.

The union has warned the industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved. The construction workers pay is set by the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI). Workers are striking over their employers’ refusal to raise bonus payments.

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Under NAECI, these payments are negotiated on a local level. The union says the workers, including scaffolders, electricians, laggers, crane drivers, welders, pipe fitters, riggers and steel erectors, have experienced years of real terms pay cuts to their hourly NAECI rates.

The union says the workers are paid a regular bonus rate of 80p an hour, described by Unite's general secretary as not being "reasonable". In the first six months of this year, Essar Oil UK made operating profits of £253 million.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Essar is absolutely awash with cash and its contractors at the refinery are on extremely lucrative contracts. It is completely unacceptable that these workers are being refused a reasonable bonus rate when there is clearly money to spare to pay them properly.

"Unite defends our members’ jobs, pay and conditions to the hilt and Stanlow’s workers have their union’s total backing in taking strike action.”

According to Essar Oil UK, Stanlow supplies 16 per cent of the UK’s road fuels. Unite warns of 'major disruption' at the refinery, which employs over 900, with an additional 800 contractors on site.

Unite reports the striking construction workers are employed by Altrad, Babcock, Bilfinger, Hutchinson Engineering, Pump Supply & Repair Group, Sarens and Wood Group.

Unite regional officer Lee Brennan said: “Over the last five years, our members’ wages have not kept pace with the cost of living. This has been made worse by the fact that the NAECI pay award for this year has resulted in a substantial real terms pay cut for the highly skilled and essential workforce based at Essar.

"The employers and Essar can absolutely afford to pay a fair bonus rate and that is what needs to happen.”

Essar Oil UK has been approached for comment.

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