http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24631342

The 'Grangemouth Petrolchemical Plant' will not open/re-open, so many jobs lost.

Very big news for Scotland and the UK.

 

The 'Grangemouth Refinery' is still closed pending talks on the new Terms & Conditions for employees.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1158553/job-losses-as-petrochemical-plant-to-close

 

EDIT.

Latest or near latest. today Wednesday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24631342

Sad for those involved but what does this mean for Scotlands independence and the UK economy in general?

 

 

 

Good result for the unions there then....   goes to show that paying your subs every week helps...  Strong arm union approach does not work, they almost made the decision for the owner to pull the plug.

I know 4 people who work at Grangemouth. All voted for the offer. The problem is that a relatively small number of highly specialised, hard to replace workers are required to keep the plant running. They made it clear that they would not agree to the change whatever the outcome of the Unite ballot.

To a certain extain, both the company AND the union are being held hostage by less than 60 people. This small number of people gambled that they could make their own deal, if the Unite ballot failed.

President Ecks financial policy for an Independent Scotland is built on oil - without Grangemouth this has no chance - major panic in the Independence camp I expect.

 

Let see if Eck can put any rabbits out of this hat.

What did the union expect.

 

It's not like they even went back with an offer of we'll agree to these, but not these.

Well they are now, as being reported on Newsnight Scotland just now,

 trying to be sure that the 'Grangemouth Refinery' restarts and stays operating & people keep their jobs.

 

The Employees were asked by their Employer to agree to new Terms & Conditions, almost half the Employees agreed,

it was 65% of Unite Members that did not.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/23/ineos-closes-grangemouth-petrochemicals-plant

 

george

Unite - We absolutely reject their terms, we won't back down in the face of this challenge, comrades together, all for one....

 

Ineos - Ok fine we'll close the plant then

 

Unite - We absolutely capitulate, surrender, no problems from us lads, we didn't want any trouble, we'll be over here if you want anything.

 

Unions are hardy covering themselves in glory right now. I'm in one and I still think they're a bunch of trouble making useless ****wits for the most part. The rights and conditions of their members seem to be a long way down the list of concerns a lot of the time.

There's a glimmer of hope again up there.

Re-opening with immediate effect apparently.

Unite - We absolutely reject their terms, we won't back down in the face of this challenge, comrades together, all for one....

 

Ineos - Ok fine we'll close the plant then

 

Unite - We absolutely capitulate, surrender, no problems from us lads, we didn't want any trouble, we'll be over here if you want anything.

 

Unions are hardy covering themselves in glory right now. I'm in one and I still think they're a bunch of trouble making useless ****wits for the most part. The rights and conditions of their members seem to be a long way down the list of concerns a lot of the time.

 

This is why im not in one. I am my own representitive i work hard and offer vauable skills and unique abilities that would be hard to replace for equivalent money. No one is ireplaceable but it wouldn't be worth my companies time to f**k me about. If i walked they would be in the ****. If everyone adopted this mantra the country would be in a better state and individuals would recieved the remuneration they deserve. Unions in my opinion are just a method of blackmailing companies into giving employees inflated incomes and unrealistic working conditions when compared to the global economy. This makes our business uncompetitive and potentially unviable meaning everyones out of a job. Good on the Ineos bosses i say for calling Unites bluff. Unions are the biggest bunch of hypocrits ever. Public sector workers are even worse because they blackmail the government and all of society has to pay for it. I am glad for the scottish workers who's jobs have been saved just before christmas though that would have been a tragedy for so many people to lose their jobs.

The union did get the management to drop the changes to union representation. That was the only red line.

The union did get the management to drop the changes to union representation. That was the only red line.

 

That's because the company knows the union have done it to themselves.

 

After this farce, I wouldn't be surprised to see union membership fall through the floor, due to the pigs ear they made of it.

It's great to be a hear the unions change reasons during a flare up.

Be it unite, or the cwu over royal mail privatisation, their "statements" from official spokespeople over the course of a week make interesting reading.....

Unite - We absolutely reject their terms, we won't back down in the face of this challenge, comrades together, all for one....

Ineos - Ok fine we'll close the plant then

Unite - We absolutely capitulate, surrender, no problems from us lads, we didn't want any trouble, we'll be over here if you want anything.

Unions are hardy covering themselves in glory right now. I'm in one and I still think they're a bunch of trouble making useless ****wits for the most part. The rights and conditions of their members seem to be a long way down the list of concerns a lot of the time.

+1 on this! Billionaire vs some blokes in orange suits being 'represented' by people who are being paid while they are not. Unfortunatly the union got this so wrong so it's good to see that the people they were supposed to be looking after still have a job. IMO they collectively had their heads in the sand if they thought they could carry on while the plant was loosing money expecting to retain all their t&c's. Unfortunatky final salary pensions are largely a thing of the past. Long term strikes normally end in those on strike loosing out, which happened to me in the 80's. After 3 weeks on strike we returned and lost out financially for years after. Meanwhile our union general secretary became an MP....cheers! We've also had our final salary pension scheme shut and in the late 2000's had no pay rises while everyone else was getting decent rises because the world wide arm of the company nearly bankrupted the whole group. Merde happens!

Yes, Unite got it completely wrong, they should have listened to the reasons why the plant was uneconomical and come come to a compromise, not just say "all out lads" .    and forget that a few thousand employees and support services lives will be ruined.

As refining and world petrol prices are dropping recently due to over production in the US, I can also see in a year or two Ineos going back to the Union and saying more savings will have to be made. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24683447

 

It is great that it is staying open.

Let the blame stay where it deserves to be, over the people that were told their jobs were to go and the plant was to close,

So that will be with the Union Barrons & Full Time Officials.

 

& please let us not re-write current affairs.

The strike that was called was after Unite balloted Union members over the Employers treatment of the Unite Convener Stephen Deans, or as it is still the yet to be decided, or the report made public, the behaviour of the Employers or the Union Convener,

and then a 48 Hour strike was to be the result.

 

The strike was called off, but the Petroleum Plant and Refinery was closed down days before in preparation for strike on Sunday last 20th & Mon 21st..

The Owners/Employer decided to keep the Petroleum Plant & Refinery Closed until they had the Agreement they wanted from Employees on the matter of the Survival Plan for the Complex. 

 

So there was no 'All out' called by Unite, on Pay & Conditions, Pensions or the likes in 2013.

They have had 5 years since the 2008 Strike to do that, but they have not for what ever reason.

There was no Ballot on that or anything of the likes this year..

(This is link is about what happened 5 years ago.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7367002.stm

 

So the Union Called a strike for 48 hours on one of their own Full Time Officials who actually works at Grangemouth.

Then called that strike off a few days before it was to start but after the shut down had been started.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-24542903

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-24515757

 

george