by Keith Richmond

UNITE workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland – who staged a dramatic 48-hour strike last month – are quietly confident that the walkout has achieved its aims. A peace deal appears to be on the cards after Jim Ratcliffe, the reclusive billionaire at the centre of the crisis, shelved his controversial plan to axe the workers’ pension scheme.

Sources say Mr Ratcliffe, 55, who is nicknamed Dr No because of his previous reputation for refusing to accede to union demands, has agreed to withdraw a letter to the plant’s 1,200 employees which triggered the dispute. The letter announced that, from August, new employees would not enjoy the same pension rights as existing employees.

A union source told Tribune: “It seems that Dr No has finally said ‘Yes’, so we have shelved our plans for further strikes. Our members have shown absolute solidarity on this one and, if he tries to bring it back in by the back door, then we will take industrial action again.”

It is a remarkable victory, not just for Unite which worked extremely hard on behalf of its members at Grangemouth, but for the whole trade union movement. In the last ten years many companies – especially those taken over by asset-stripping private equity firms – have closed their final salary pension schemes and, sometimes, plundered cash from the reserves, too. Union leaders hope victory at Grangemouth will help turn back the tide of those firms who want to put the squeeze on their workers.

The strike – which disrupted fuel supplies and halted much of the UK’s North Sea oil production – was the first at a refinery for 73 years. A ballot showed 97 per cent in favour of industrial action to stop the private chemical company Ineos closing its final salary pension scheme to newcomers and introducing financial penalties for early retirement.

Unite said: “Members at the Grangemouth refinery were forced by their employer to take strike action to defend their pension scheme. They deeply regret any inconvenience their action caused to the people of Scotland, but Ineos left them with no choice.

“The company wanted to close its pension scheme to new employees and reduce the value of the pension for current staff. Their pension scheme has always been an important part of their wages and the changes Ineos wanted to make would have had a serious effect on them and their families in future years.

“Ineos is a hugely profitable company – £300 million in profit last year – and their pension scheme is well funded and affordable. If their pension isn’t safe, then no pension is safe.”

An Ineos spokesman said: “Both sides are hoping for a positive resolution.”