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Alex Salmond warns of 'risk' as Grangemouth dispute continues Grangemouth dispute: No deal between Ineos and Unite on restart
(about 1 hour later)
Scotland's First Minister has warned of a risk to the future of Grangemouth refinery and petrochemical plant if the current stand-off between management and unions continues. Management and unions at the Grangemouth refinery and petrochemical plant have failed to reach a deal which would see the site fired up again.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Alex Salmond said the longer site remained "idle and cold" the more difficult things would become. Operators Ineos asked Unite to make a commitment to call no further industrial action this year.
The facility remains shut down despite Unite calling off a planned strike. Unite said it would agree to this, but on the condition the firm would not impose cuts on the workforce during the same period.
Mr Salmond met operators Ineos and union representatives on Thursday.douglas The two sides held a face-to-face meeting at the plant earlier.
Unite said it would not strike before January if Ineos agreed to withdraw proposed contract changes. Ineos said it would have restarted operations at the site on Friday if Unite had given the company a "no conditions, no strings attached" assurance of no further industrial action this year.
Ineos said it would restart Grangemouth if it received a guarantee that there would be no further industrial action of any kind during the 60-day consultation period on the company's survival plan for the site. However, it claimed the union had refused that offer.
The first minister had urged both sides to agree to a "truce deal". Calum MacLean, Ineos Grangemouth (UK) chairman, said: "Unite's response is unbelievable given how much effort has been put into securing this deal with ourselves, the Scottish and the UK governments all working hard to find a way forward.
Following his discussions, Mr Salmond called for Unite to confirm in writing that it would not strike this year, and at the same time, for owners Ineos to restart operations and return the site to normal production. "We will now concentrate on discussing the Survival Plan with our staff during the 60-day consultation".
Mr Salmond told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "If the plant stays down and we stay in the war of words and the exchange of press releases and exchange of interviews and exchange of tweets then there is the risk things will deteriorate further and the fundamental risk is to the future of the Grangemouth plant." Unite said it had already promised no strike action before Christmas but the union repeated its calls for Ineos to abandon proposed changes to staff contracts.
Pat Rafferty, Unite's Scottish secretary, said: "At Acas talks earlier this week, Unite committed to conducting no industrial action ballots or industrial action before 31 December 2013.
"This was on the basis that the company would not impose cuts on the workforce during the same period. Unite also proposed that these negotiations over the future of the site during this period would be held under the auspices of Acas."
He added: "If the company lifts the cuts agenda that it is imposing on its workers, then our offer still stands."
Proposals letter
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond earlier warned of a risk to the future of Grangemouth if the current stand-off continues.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, he said the longer site remained "idle and cold" the more difficult things would become.
Mr Salmond met with Ineos and Unite representatives on Thursday.
Ineos said shutting down the Grangemouth complex had cost the company £20m so far.Ineos said shutting down the Grangemouth complex had cost the company £20m so far.
The firm had put proposals over pay and pensions to workers at the complex, which has 1,400 employees and many more contractors.The firm had put proposals over pay and pensions to workers at the complex, which has 1,400 employees and many more contractors.
A letter outlining the proposed changes - which includes freezing the basic salary and offering no bonuses until at least the end of 2016 - was being couriered to employees on Friday.A letter outlining the proposed changes - which includes freezing the basic salary and offering no bonuses until at least the end of 2016 - was being couriered to employees on Friday.
Unite claimed the company had told staff they could lose their jobs and be reemployed on poorer terms unless they agreed to give up their final salary pension, and accept pay freezes and pay cuts, by 18:00 on Monday.Unite claimed the company had told staff they could lose their jobs and be reemployed on poorer terms unless they agreed to give up their final salary pension, and accept pay freezes and pay cuts, by 18:00 on Monday.
Pat Rafferty, Unite's Scottish secretary, said the union had already agreed not to take industrial action up until the end of December and had put that in an offer to Ineos when the two sides met at the arbitration service, Acas, earlier this week.
He added: "The only thing we are asking for now in return, is for the company to drop this imposition and stop this blackmailing of the workforce to accept these things by Monday and sit down with us and negotiate this settlement going forward.
"We will give you that guarantee, as we did at Acas."
Calum MacLean, Ineos Grangemouth (UK) chairman, said that for safety reasons the company could not restart the site until the risk of further industrial action was removed.
He added: "We can confirm that we would restart if there was a clear guarantee that there would be no further action during the next 60 days.
"This would allow us to complete a full consultation process with our employees on the changes that the site so urgently needs."
The dispute that led to a vote for strike action had centred on the company's treatment of union official Stephen Deans.The dispute that led to a vote for strike action had centred on the company's treatment of union official Stephen Deans.