Lindsey Oil Refinery workers sage rally outside the closure threatened site
The rally comes as workers could be laid off in the autumn as the North Killingholme site is being wound down.
Concerned workers from Lindsey Oil Refinery have staged a rally outside the closure threatened site. The rally comes as workers could be laid off in the autumn as the North Killingholme site is being wound down.
The site has been at risk for some time having entered liquidation in June, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
In recent weeks, support for the refinery has been shown by the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns. Alongside the leaders of the three local authorities in the county, Dame Andrea sent a letter to Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero raising urgent concerns for the future of the refinery.
Today’s rally, organised by Unite the Union, saw workers demanding that the Government takes immediate action to secure the long-term future of the Northern Lincolnshire site. A further rally is also set to take place in Cleethorpes on Sunday, August 24.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The Government must do everything in its power to ensure a sale and safeguard jobs. Ministers should be urging any potential buyer to purchase the site as a whole to prevent it being split into parts.
“The Lindsey refinery is vital national infrastructure; it provides 10 per cent of the UK’s fuel supply and is crucial to the regional economy. Its future must be secured.”
At the rally, Dave Smith, a union representative, told the LDRS that the aim of the demonstration was “to raise awareness that the site isn’t dead and buried”. He said: “We’re just tying to make it more prominent in the public eye and raise awareness that there is a need for this refinery to stay open.” He added: “The mental health and wellbeing of the staff on site is particularly poor at the minute because people don’t know what’s going on.”
Also at the rally was John Chambers, who has worked at the refinery for almost 15 years. He told the LDRS: “It’s lovely to get the support, we’ve had a lot of online support as well.” He added: “It’s such a travesty that this place is where it’s got to, there’s a lot that this place gives, not only to the community but to the whole of the UK.”