Scotland: Ministers Visit Grangemouth Refinery
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Tuesday, 29 April 2008 |
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British Business Secretary John Hutton will visit the Grangemouth oil refinery later today (Tuesday 29th ) as workers return to work after the two-day stoppage.
His Scottish counterpart, Finance and Business Minister John Swinney, will also visit Grangemouth. Mr Salmond praised joint co-operation between the Scotland and Westminster administrations.
Some 1,200 Unite union members walked out of the central Scotland Ineos plant on Sunday in a dispute over pensions. Ineos founder Jim Ratcliffe was booed by picketers during a visit to the site on Monday. The tycoon was heckled by workers taking part in the 48-hour walkout which ends at 0600 BST on Tuesday.
The Forties oil pipeline, which delivers 30% of the UK's oil output
from the North Sea, was closed as a direct result of the dispute. The disruption has helped push oil prices to a fresh high of close to $120 a barrel.
Fuel has begun arriving at ports across Scotland to ease
pressure on the service stations where increased buying has led to shortages
for some retailers.
About 65,000 tonnes of fuel is being shipped in to replace some
of the lost production from the Ineos oil refinery, Scotland's main
fuel supplier.
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