Wednesday April 30, 06:14 AM
Peace In Refinery Pensions Row?
By Sky News
The two sides locked in a bitter row over pensions in the Grangemouth oil refinery dispute are now considering a plan to resolve the stand-off. Hopes of an end to the row have risen after the proposal was drawn up following peace talks between
leaders of the Unite union and bosses from Ineos, which owns the giant refinery in Scotland.Ineos chief Jim Ratcliffe took part in the meeting, held within hours of the end of the 48-hour strike by 1,200 workers, which led to the closure of Grangemouth. A brief joint statement said: "A meeting was held in London today between Jim Ratcliffe and Tom Crotty of Ineos and the joint general secretaries of Unite, Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley. "It was a constructive and meaningful discussion and ended in a proposal that will be considered by the company and the union in the coming days with a view to finding a resolution to the pensions dispute." The Grangemouth complex is now returning to production after the walkout, which was held in protest at the planned closure of Ineos's final salary pension scheme to new workers. Business Secretary John Hutton visited Grangemouth and welcomed the new talks, adding: "There is a gap between the two sides that has got to be bridged - only the two parties themselves can reach an agreement. No-one can do that for them. "But I hope there is now a mood to try and reach an agreement." Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond also welcomed the news. Emergency fuel supplies from Europe have arrived in Scotland to ease the pressure on forecourts. The shortages occurred after several days of motorists rushing to fill up their tanks.
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