Fuel shortages warning over strike

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Up to 1,200 workers at the Grangemouth site in Scotland will walk out on April 27 and 28 in a row over pensions.

The action could cripple supplies for a month in Scotland and the north of England, according to refinery owner Ineos, although the Unite union claims the whole of the UK will be hit.

Ineos has begun shutting down the site immediately to ensure it is secure during the strike period.

The walk-out has been called in protest at plans to close the final salary pension scheme to new workers as well as other changes. Ineos said it had guaranteed no changes would be made to existing pensions before next April, and accused the union of "rushing" to take industrial action.

The company said the stoppage would also effectively close down a large proportion of North Sea oil production as well as some gas production which goes through Grangemouth.

Chief executive Tom Crotty said: "The union is well aware that a 48-hour strike will cause fuel chaos in Scotland and the North of England for weeks on end."

He urged union bosses to continue negotiations and drop the strike plans, which he said is "designed to hold the company to ransom."

Phil McNulty, national officer of Unite, insisted the proposed changes were "unreasonable" and "unnecessary".

The Scottish government has called on both sides to resolve the dispute.