Escalation of refinery jobs dispute

Demonstrators outside the Lindsey oil refinery in North Lincolnshire set light to letters in a car park opposite the huge plant.

It came in protest at being given until 5pm on Monday to reapply for their jobs.

Almost 650 contract staff working on a major construction project at the refinery were sacked last week by firms working for Total, which runs the refinery, after a week of unofficial industrial action.

A senior executive at Total revealed the project to build a new desulpherisation plant at Lindsey was £100m over budget and late being completed because of productivity problems and the unofficial strikes.

Michel Benezit, president of refining and marketing, said the dispute was out of Total's hands because it involved sub-contractors.

"The work should have been finished by now and the unit should be in operation. Because of poor productivity and disputes we still have a long way to go.

"I want to make it clear that we have not fired anyone because we have no employees involved in this work. There is not much we can do. My only goal is to see an end to the strike as soon as possible. We have already suffered huge cost over-runs."

Sources estimated up to 4,000 contract workers at power stations and oil and gas terminals across the UK took part in unofficial action on Monday as the wildcat strikes spread.

The biggest walkout was at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria where 900 contract staff held a meeting and decided to stay out until Wednesday.