Independent: Gas city: Grangemouth - the frontline of Britain's energy war
The bitter pay dispute that has engulfed oil refinery has raged for years. Now the firm that owns it has threatened to turn off the pipes – which could spark an energy crisis across the UK
It sits on a site more than two times the size of the City of London, processes 80 per cent of all the fuel used in Scotland and powers the pipes which link the North Sea oil and gas fields to the British mainland.
But now the Swiss-based company that owns Grangemouth oil refinery on the Firth of Forth is threatening to shut the plant forever in a bitter industrial dispute that could have profound ramifications for the future of Britain’s energy security.
The plant’s 1,300 workers have been told they have until Monday night to agree to new less generous pay, pensions and working conditions to make the plant profitable.
The refinery’s private owners Ineos have called a shareholder meeting for Tuesday to assess the response of the workforce. An Ineos spokesman has said closing the site permanently was “ultimately one of the options”. MORE