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After the bankruptcy of Petroplus in January 2012 a second refinery out of the five within the group is struggling to find a new owner. The administrator of the the Coryton refinery in Essex (UK) officially announced on 28 May that it would be closed within 90 days. This is a bitter blow for the nearly 1,000 workers it employs, mostly organised by industriAll’s UK affililiate UNITE, and contractors.
“Only 2 weeks after a meeting with Commissioner Oettinger on the future of the refinery business in Europe, including the prospects for the Petroplus refineries concerned, this is definitely not the outcome we expected,” stated Ulrich Eckelmann, IndustriAll European Trade Union’s General Secretary .
It is now the task of the British government to find a solution for potential buyers. The current financial market is exceptionally difficult and capital is in short supply and expensive. Trade unions at refineries in Petit Couronne (France), Ingolstadt (Germany), and Cressier (Switzerland) are keeping a close watch on developments as they are in a similar situation. The only refinery to find a new owner so far is the refinery in Antwerp (Belgium).
“As submitted to Commissioner Oettinger, we need a working group on the future of the refinery sector in Europe. We cannot just accept European closures, leading to an increase in imports of fuel produced under less restrictive environmental rules and an increase in Europe’s dependency on energy supply from other regions like the Far East and the Middle East,” added Ulrich Eckelmann.
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Press 3/2012
For further information please contact:
IndustriAll General Secretary Ulrich Eckelmann (Tel. + 32 2 227 1010)
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