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Sunday 01/2/09

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Last Updated: Sunday, 01 February 2009, 16:06 GMT- Search: Lincolnshire refinery workers

Lord Mandelson said Lincolnshire refinery was entitled to draft in foreign workersThe Government was on a collision course with strikers after Lord Mandelson insisted a Lincolnshire oil refinery had been entitled to draft in hundreds of foreign workers.

The Business Secretary said a statement from energy firm Total provided "full reassurance" and dispelled the "perception" that Britons had been discriminated against.

But his insistence that there was "no problem" with EU rules on the free movement of labour appeared to contradict earlier comments from a Cabinet colleague.

Health secretary Alan Johnson - a former union leader - said rulings from the European court had "distorted" the law, and suggested changes may be needed.



The hint at tensions within the Government emerged as the row threatened to escalate sharply.

Hundreds of contract workers at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria will hold a mass meeting to discuss taking industrial action.

Contractors at the Heysham nuclear power station in Lancashire are also expected to decide whether to join the unofficial walk-outs in support of workers at the Total oil refinery in Lincolnshire, where the dispute started.

Bosses from Total will meet with sub contractors and union leaders for hastily-arranged talks in Scunthorpe, the Press Association understands.

Moves are also under way to set up a special panel, under an independent chairman, to review the recruitment of hundreds of Italian and Portuguese workers on the £200 million plant at the giant Lindsey Oil Refinery at North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire.

Unions claim Britons were not given any opportunity to apply for the posts.

el guapo;1124436 wrote: Sunday 01/2/09

Others are searching for:

Last Updated: Sunday, 01 February 2009, 16:06 GMT- Search: Lincolnshire refinery workers

Lord Mandelson said Lincolnshire refinery was entitled to draft in foreign workersThe Government was on a collision course with strikers after Lord Mandelson insisted a Lincolnshire oil refinery had been entitled to draft in hundreds of foreign workers.

The Business Secretary said a statement from energy firm Total provided "full reassurance" and dispelled the "perception" that Britons had been discriminated against.

But his insistence that there was "no problem" with EU rules on the free movement of labour appeared to contradict earlier comments from a Cabinet colleague.

Health secretary Alan Johnson - a former union leader - said rulings from the European court had "distorted" the law, and suggested changes may be needed.



The hint at tensions within the Government emerged as the row threatened to escalate sharply.

Hundreds of contract workers at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria will hold a mass meeting to discuss taking industrial action.

Contractors at the Heysham nuclear power station in Lancashire are also expected to decide whether to join the unofficial walk-outs in support of workers at the Total oil refinery in Lincolnshire, where the dispute started.

Bosses from Total will meet with sub contractors and union leaders for hastily-arranged talks in Scunthorpe, the Press Association understands.

Moves are also under way to set up a special panel, under an independent chairman, to review the recruitment of hundreds of Italian and Portuguese workers on the £200 million plant at the giant Lindsey Oil Refinery at North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire.

Unions claim Britons were not given any opportunity to apply for the posts.


The Oscar Prime Minister's Question time has broken for supper.

Gordon Brown's Queen of spin will have her Kentucky fried chicken and ponder.

Oscar will return after a short parlimentary interlude to give you a very simple explanation.

got ya

el guapo;1124495 wrote: got ya


No you have not. The Queen of spin is just taking longer to ponder than usual. One will return shortly.

Gordon Brown (his Gorgousness)has no regrets over using the phrase "British jobs for British workers", Downing Street insisted today as a series of unofficial strikes broke out over UK construction jobs awarded to European workers.

As anger intensified over plans by oil companies to employ Portuguese and Italian workers, the prime minister said that he understood people's concerns.

Asked whether the prime minister regretted using the controversial phrase, branded illegal and racist by critics, his spokesman in London said: "I don't see any reason for regret. The action that we have taken has meant that we are now putting in place measures that ensure British workers can have access to the vacancies in the system."

Some of the workers who walked out at refineries and power stations in various parts of the UK held placards quoting the prime minister's words. The wildcat strikes mark the latest in a series of protests over the use of foreign rather than domestic labour by large companies.

Asked about the situation in Davos, Brown said: "I understand people's worries about their jobs. I understand people's anxieties about employment across the country. But we are doing everything we can both to get economic growth moving in our country and to help people who are unemployed, to help them into new jobs."

In London, the Downing Street spokesman said the government understood that contracts for the construction work in question were awarded "some time ago when there was a shortage of skilled labour in the UK", and added: "That's obviously not now the case."

The spokesman said ministers would be "speaking to the industry in the next few days to ensure they did all they can to help the British economy".

Pressed on the matter, the spokesman was unable to say what meeting had been set up or with whom. He could not say which government department was leading the negotiations.

He insisted ministers were doing all they could to shore up the economy, and said: "What we have tried to do with the points-based [immigration] system is ensure that British workers are given the opportunities that exist in the labour market first."

More than 700 BP and Ineos workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland walked out this morning after an 8am union meeting. Police were called to the Aberthaw power station near Barry, south Wales, and 400 workers at a refinery in Wilton, near Redcar, Teesside, downed tools.

In Davos, the prime minister said: "I came into politics to help people out of unemployment, to help people who were poor by building an economy that was confident and strong to weather this storm. I believe that the action we have taken to help people in work stay in work, to help people who lose their jobs get jobs again ... is the way to do it."

Brown said it was important for the world not to retreat into protectionism with the erection of new trade barriers in response to the global crisis.

"This form of deglobalisation, which will lead to trade protectionism if it's not stopped, is something I'm warning people about," he said.

The unions smell blood over this one. Old labour is about to kick the **** out of new labour and remind them their core supporters were not and never have been in the ranks of the bankers and big business. The refinery workers and tanker drivers know they an bring the country to it's knees. Don't think much of the cause or the way the media are hyping things up but it would be good to see that smug bastard brown forced out of office. Tony had the sense to go before it happened to him.

Gordon needs to go and take that sleazeball mandelson with him. OK Oscar how long do you think it will take labour to recover from poison tony and his septic pal brown?

oscar;1124523 wrote: Gordon Brown (his Gorgousness)has no regrets over using the phrase "British jobs for British workers", Downing Street insisted today as a series of unofficial strikes broke out over UK construction jobs awarded to European workers.

As anger intensified over plans by oil companies to employ Portuguese and Italian workers, the prime minister said that he understood people's concerns.

Asked whether the prime minister regretted using the controversial phrase, branded illegal and racist by critics, his spokesman in London said: "I don't see any reason for regret. The action that we have taken has meant that we are now putting in place measures that ensure British workers can have access to the vacancies in the system."

Some of the workers who walked out at refineries and power stations in various parts of the UK held placards quoting the prime minister's words. The wildcat strikes mark the latest in a series of protests over the use of foreign rather than domestic labour by large companies.

Asked about the situation in Davos, Brown said: "I understand people's worries about their jobs. I understand people's anxieties about employment across the country. But we are doing everything we can both to get economic growth moving in our country and to help people who are unemployed, to help them into new jobs."

In London, the Downing Street spokesman said the government understood that contracts for the construction work in question were awarded "some time ago when there was a shortage of skilled labour in the UK", and added: "That's obviously not now the case."

The spokesman said ministers would be "speaking to the industry in the next few days to ensure they did all they can to help the British economy".

Pressed on the matter, the spokesman was unable to say what meeting had been set up or with whom. He could not say which government department was leading the negotiations.

He insisted ministers were doing all they could to shore up the economy, and said: "What we have tried to do with the points-based [immigration] system is ensure that British workers are given the opportunities that exist in the labour market first."

More than 700 BP and Ineos workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland walked out this morning after an 8am union meeting. Police were called to the Aberthaw power station near Barry, south Wales, and 400 workers at a refinery in Wilton, near Redcar, Teesside, downed tools.

In Davos, the prime minister said: "I came into politics to help people out of unemployment, to help people who were poor by building an economy that was confident and strong to weather this storm. I believe that the action we have taken to help people in work stay in work, to help people who lose their jobs get jobs again ... is the way to do it."

Brown said it was important for the world not to retreat into protectionism with the erection of new trade barriers in response to the global crisis.

"This form of deglobalisation, which will lead to trade protectionism if it's not stopped, is something I'm warning people about," he said.


there is no shortage of skilled labour here

just the british didnt give a labour mp enough money to get the contracks

el guapo;1124798 wrote: there is no shortage of skilled labour here

just the british didnt give a labour mp enough money to get the contracks


:eek::eek:what do you mean? labour politicians are corrupt??!!!:eek: I thought only the tories did that kind of thing. At least that's what oscar's other hero tony bLIAR said. Maybe he meant labour tell lies with conviction and god is on their side so that makes it all OK.:-2

gmc;1124816 wrote: :eek:what do you mean? labour politicians are corrupt??!!!:eek: I thought only the tories did that kind of thing. At least that's what oscar's other hero tony bLIAR said. Maybe he meant labour tell lies with conviction and god is on their side so that makes it all OK.:-2


How many more times do i have to tell you Jockstrap that I HATE TONY B LIAR

YouTube - Tony Blair and George Bush - It Wasn't Me

Sing along now.

oscar;1125129 wrote: How many more times do i have to tell you Jockstrap that I HATE TONY B LIAR

YouTube - Tony Blair and George Bush - It Wasn't Me

Sing along now.:yh_rotfl

The thing is that smug bastard gordon went along with it all. Admit it he's as much to blame and he certainly has to carry the can for the present mess we are in.

What a difference decent regulation makes.

Banco Santander profit falls after write-down - International Herald Tribune

Santander said that including write-downs and extraordinary gains, net profit was €9.06 billion. A Reuters poll of 11 analysts forecast net profit would come in at €8.26 billion, or €9.05 billion including one-time items.




Oh wow they made less profit than last year.

gmc;1125283 wrote: :yh_rotfl

The thing is that smug bastard gordon went along with it all. Admit it he's as much to blame and he certainly has to carry the can for the present mess we are in.

What a difference decent regulation makes.

Banco Santander profit falls after write-down - International Herald Tribune



Oh wow they made less profit than last year.


:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl I couldn't give a flying doo dah about Santander on account that they have my savings in their bank. :yh_rotfl