A demonstration has taken place outside Parliament to call for increased Government action to facilitate the rescue of Lindsey Oil Refinery from shutting down. The facility, situated near North Killingholme, on the Humber, is being wound down, with staff facing redundancy from late October.
This comes after the June collapse of Prax Group companies that operated the refinery. The Official Receiver later concluded that selling it as an operational business was not feasible, but has continued pursuing the disposal of sections of the site and its equipment.
Trade union Unite, refinery employees, local MPs, the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, and North Lincolnshire Council, have all campaigned for enhanced Government measures to attempt preventing the refinery's closure. Unite and workers organised a demonstration outside Parliament on September 3.
Unite representative and refinery employee Dan Ingram attended the event. "The turnout considering we were in London was absolutely fantastic."
Alongside Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, and refinery staff, people impacted by this year's earlier closure of Grangemouth refinery in Scotland also participated, reports .
Local MPs Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes), Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham), and Sir Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe) were all present as well. Addresses were delivered by Ms Graham, and several Unite representatives including Mr Ingram, plus the chief union representative for contract personnel connected to the refinery.
Mr Ingram revealed that he, along with other representatives, participated in a round-table, drop-in meeting with several MPs, including Ms Onn and Mr Vickers. "They were all very supportive of our campaign." He said Unite had two primary requests it was planning to press the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on. "We want it sold as a full, operational refinery," he said.
The request was for the Government to be prepared to invest if necessary to facilitate a wholesale sale of the refinery, rather than a partial sale. Its other request pertains to workforce training, which the Government has previously assured, based on the future closure of the refinery.
A DESNZ spokesperson reiterated its sympathy for the workers at the refinery, "who have been let down by the owners. We are working closely with unions to ensure workers are supported."
The Official Receiver is assessing the credibility of a variety of bids, they said, and reiterated the Government's training pledge for directly employed refinery workers. "We will also fund a Training Guarantee for refinery workers, to ensure they have the skills they need and are supported to find jobs in the growing clean energy workforce."
