Acas inquiry backs employers in oil refinery dispute

The firms at the centre of the Lindsey oil refinery dispute last month did not break the law by recruiting foreign workers, an Acas report has concluded.

Contractors at the Lincolnshire plant went on unofficial strike for a week in protest against Total’s decision to hire an Italian subcontractor, Irem. The dispute ended when Total announced that 101 new jobs would be made available to British people. But hundreds of workers at other plants, including Sellafield nuclear power station, also took illegal strike action in sympathy.