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| Leaders to meet over fuel dispute | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond is in London where he hopes to meet the prime minister to discuss the effect of the strike at Grangemouth oil refinery. | |
| Speaking in Westminster, Mr Salmond said the issue was wider than normal party politics and every effort must be made to end the dispute. | |
| He said there was enough fuel for everyone who needed it in Scotland. | |
| Business Secretary John Hutton will visit the oil refinery on Tuesday, as the two-day stoppage ends. | |
| His Scottish counterpart, Finance and Business Minister John Swinney, will also visit Grangemouth. | |
| Mr Salmond praised joint co-operation between the Scotland and Westminster administrations. | |
| Some 1,200 Unite union members walked out of the central Scotland Ineos plant on Sunday in a dispute over pensions. | Some 1,200 Unite union members walked out of the central Scotland Ineos plant on Sunday in a dispute over pensions. |
| Ineos founder Jim Ratcliffe was booed by picketers during a visit to the site on Monday. | |
| The tycoon was heckled by workers taking part in the 48-hour walkout which ends at 0600 BST on Tuesday. | The tycoon was heckled by workers taking part in the 48-hour walkout which ends at 0600 BST on Tuesday. |
| The Forties oil pipeline, which delivers 30% of the UK's oil output from the North Sea, was closed as a direct result of the dispute. | The Forties oil pipeline, which delivers 30% of the UK's oil output from the North Sea, was closed as a direct result of the dispute. |
| Lost production | Lost production |
| The disruption has helped push oil prices to a fresh high of just below $120 a barrel. | The disruption has helped push oil prices to a fresh high of just below $120 a barrel. |
| Fuel has begun arriving at ports across Scotland to ease pressure on the forecourts where increased buying has led to shortages for some retailers. | Fuel has begun arriving at ports across Scotland to ease pressure on the forecourts where increased buying has led to shortages for some retailers. |
| About 65,000 tonnes of fuel is being shipped in to replace some of the lost production from the Ineos oil refinery, Scotland's main fuel supplier. | About 65,000 tonnes of fuel is being shipped in to replace some of the lost production from the Ineos oil refinery, Scotland's main fuel supplier. |
| Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe was booed as he left the Grangemouth site The man behind oil plant Ineos | Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe was booed as he left the Grangemouth site The man behind oil plant Ineos |
| Although workers are set to return to work on Tuesday morning, it could take some time before normal operations are resumed. | Although workers are set to return to work on Tuesday morning, it could take some time before normal operations are resumed. |
| A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed efforts were being made to arrange a meeting with the first minister. | |
| It is believed it would be the first such meeting between the two leaders since Mr Brown arrived in Number 10 in June last year. | It is believed it would be the first such meeting between the two leaders since Mr Brown arrived in Number 10 in June last year. |
| Mr Hutton is also set to travel to Scotland on Tuesday to meet fuel industry representatives and retailers to discuss the situation and thank them for their work to keep supplies moving. | |
| He insisted both governments were doing all they could to get Unite officials and Ineos management back round the negotiating table. | He insisted both governments were doing all they could to get Unite officials and Ineos management back round the negotiating table. |
| He told BBC Radio Scotland: "We're talking to both sides. I spent some of the weekend talking to the trade unions and the company and I stand ready to have further discussions later today. | He told BBC Radio Scotland: "We're talking to both sides. I spent some of the weekend talking to the trade unions and the company and I stand ready to have further discussions later today. |
| "My principle responsibility to the people of Scotland is to make sure that if there is disruption that we minimise the impact of that and we do all we can to make sure that the Scottish economy and Scottish motorists are not inconvenienced." | "My principle responsibility to the people of Scotland is to make sure that if there is disruption that we minimise the impact of that and we do all we can to make sure that the Scottish economy and Scottish motorists are not inconvenienced." |
| The Unite union has not called any fresh strikes but urged Ineos to halt proposed pension changes if talks were to restart. | The Unite union has not called any fresh strikes but urged Ineos to halt proposed pension changes if talks were to restart. |
| The two sides held negotiations last week at the conciliation service Acas but they collapsed without agreement. | The two sides held negotiations last week at the conciliation service Acas but they collapsed without agreement. |