Staff walked out of ExxonMobil refinery on account of security fears, says union
W
orkers at a Fife refinery withdrew their labour over security issues prompting requires an investigation, a union has mentioned.
ExxonMobil’s Mossmorran refinery in Cowdenbeath might be topic to inquiries from the Health and Safety Executive after industrial motion on Tuesday August 15.
Unite claimed about 200 staff withdrew their labour on the petrochemical plant – a authorized proper underneath the Employment Rights Act – on account of security issues.
However, ExxonMobil mentioned lower than 100 staff walked out of the refinery and that many Unite members didn’t become involved.
Unite will robustly defend the authorized proper of our members to withdraw their labour over well being and security issues at ExxonMobil’s Mossmorran plant
And the corporate mentioned that the Fife Ethylene Plant “operates in full compliance with approved site safety standards and procedures”.
Unite claimed the employees objected to “health and safety warning signals and procedures not being in full working operation across the plant” and a scarcity of procedures put in place to guard them.
The union claimed ExxonMobil and contractors Altrad, Bilfinger and Kaefer, failed in a “legal duty” to guard and pay staff.
Unite mentioned it obtained reviews from staff citing repeated examples over a yr that alarm methods weren’t working in areas on the petrochemical plant and staff not being notified – which is legally required within the occasion of any leakages, blasts or publicity to hazardous supplies and chemical substances.
It additionally alleged that staff had been having pay withheld, opposite to employment legal guidelines which say staff have the “right” to withdraw from, and to refuse to return to a office that’s unsafe, with out being topic to lack of wages.
Unite basic secretary Sharon Graham mentioned: “Unite will robustly defend the legal right of our members to withdraw their labour over health and safety concerns at ExxonMobil’s Mossmorran plant.
“It is completely unacceptable that the company and the various contractors on site are refusing to pay our members their wages.
“This is a legal duty and not open to interpretation.
“Our members will be receiving their union’s unflinching support.”
Unite members at ExxonMobil’s plant are employed on building engineering upkeep contracts and they’re break up between totally different contractors on the plant: Altrad, Bilfinger, and Kaefer.
Unite is additional calling on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to analyze instantly because of the seriousness of the claims.
The union claimed there have been numerous recorded incidents on the plant over security, the danger of air pollution and environmental harm.
Bob Macgregor, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite’s members working for Altrad, Bilfinger, and Kaefer at the Mossmorran plant are rightly furious at potentially being exposed to dangerous chemicals due to failings in the plant’s safety procedures.
“To add insult to injury, ExxonMobil and the contractors are refusing to pay the wages of the workers following the withdrawal of labour on health and safety grounds.
“This is not an isolated incident, these safety breaches and failings have been ongoing for around a year and nothing to date has been resolved.
“That’s why Unite is calling for the Health and Safety Executive to urgently intervene due to the seriousness of the claims, and the chequered history of the plant.”
An ExxonMobil spokesperson mentioned: “We are aware of unofficial action instigated by a small number of individuals employed by contracting companies on our site.
“There is no impact on our operations, which continue as normal.
“Fife Ethylene Plant operates in full compliance with approved site safety standards and procedures.”
A HSE spokesperson mentioned: “We are aware of safety-related concerns being raised by union and employee representatives onsite.
“We are now making enquiries with the site operator.”
Altrad, Bilfinger, and Kaefer have been approached for remark.