Unite is demanding that the government takes immediate action to secure the long-term future of the Lindsey oil refinery.
 
Unite made the call after the special managers who have been running the site since it filed for administration at the end of last month, wrote to the workforce informing them that as a buyer had not been found they were now in the process of winding down the site, with no more crude oil being purchased.
 
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The government can’t sit on the sidelines any longer. The Lindsey refinery is critical national infrastructure and is essential for the UK’s fuel supply and the health of the regional economy.
 
“The government needs to reverse the premature decision to stop buying crude oil and to extend the time to find a viable long-term solution for the site.
 
“Over a thousand workers rely on the future of the oil refinery, their jobs are now at immediate risk, through no fault of their own. If the government fails to act then workers at Lindsey and much further afield will rightly, feel abandoned by it.
 
“The government needs to engage immediately with Unite and explain in detail its plans for Lindsey and UK refining in general. Unite members in the oil industry are fast losing confidence in the government’s plans for net zero as it continues to fail UK workers.”
 
As well as the hundreds of jobs employed directly at Lindsey and through contractors there are also hundreds more in its supply chain who are reliant on the future of the refinery.
 
ENDS
 
Notes to editors:
 
The Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland ceased production in spring this year.
 
For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite senior communications advisor Barckley Sumner on 07802 329235.
 
Email: barckley.sumner@unitetheunion.org
 
Twitter: @unitetheunion Facebook: unitetheunion1 Instagram: unitetheunion Web: unitetheunion.org
 
Unite is the UK and Ireland’s leading union fighting to protect and advance jobs, pay and conditions for members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham