Contractors on strike at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in Lincolnshire have refused the deal offered to them by the site’s owner Total following talks with Acas, according to reports.

The workers are taking unofficial action in protest at sub-contractor's plans to use foreign labour at the refinery.

According to the BBC, talks between the Unite and GMB unions and Total and Acas led to workers being told that about 60 of the 200 jobs going to sub-contractors would be made available to British workers.

Total said in a statement that it was not discriminating against British companies or workers, adding: “We have been a major local employer for 40 years and the majority of our 500 permanent staff are local.”

But Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: “Overseas companies are refusing to employ UK nationals on projects in the UK. That is not right.”

Labour MP and member of PM’s editorial board, John Mann, has issued an early day motion in the House of Commons “deploring” the use of foreign workers at the refinery.