Local Euro MP on Lindsey dispute: successive moves for Europe to provide more worker protection has often been blocked by British governments of all persuasions

11.42.09am GMT Mon 2nd Feb 2009

Local Liberal Democrat Euro MP Diana Wallis has commented on the mass walk outs over the use of foreign workers at Total's Lindsey refinery in Killingholme.

Diana Wallis, whose constituency includes the refinery site, commented over the weekend:

"We all have a lot of sympathy with anyone who is out of work and especially if they are close neighbours. It seems that there could be valid concerns about what has happened here. There are two elements that need careful checking: the way in which the Italians have been employed and the public procurement process by which these contracts were awarded.

"Ironically the EU here is not the problem but indeed potentially part of the solution in that it is against the requirements of EU law that the employment and contract process needs to be checked. Europe attempts to provide a level playing field for labour mobility. Indeed, there have been successive moves for Europe to provide more worker protection which has often been blocked by British governments of all persuasions.

"What we cannot afford is to let this escalate into a retreat into protectionism. Immingham and Grimsby together make up the UK's largest port. We are historically a trading nation. We cannot afford to block the goods and labour of others - it will just rebound on us, losing more local jobs and damaging our economy. Likewise any escalation of the strike will only hit the vulnerable people and our fragile economy if fuel supplies are threatened. This is a time when we need more than ever to stick together in keeping things going.

"Whilst I have every sympathy with these workers here raising the alarm, it is not helpful that this should be allowed to spread. There is a need to sit down and get to the bottom of the situation here and its legality and, maybe rather than leaving it to ACAS, the government needs to assist directly (as has recently when banks and savings were threatened). It is obviously a contractually very complex set up and one that needs careful analysis.

"Gordon Brown has to take some of the responsibility for his statement about British jobs for British workers. If he meant what he now says about training up Britain's young work force, which is also a concern of the Lindsey men, why did he not say British workers (i.e. trained workers) for British jobs? That would have made more sense.

"As a final point, whatever the employment or contractual rights and wrongs of the Lindsey episode in terms of social sensitivity, it surely has to be questioned to bring in a group of workers so that they are segregated from the local community creating a 'them and us' scenario of the worse kind. How much better that they were staying in local guest houses, putting some of their money back into the local economy. Business has to learn from this episode."