Grangemouth - an offer they couldn't refuse

[Red Clydesider]

Here in Scotland we have just seen a classic capitalist triumph.

If you don't know the details, the industrial complex at Grangemouth in Scotland comprises an oil refinery and petrochemical plant. The refinery processes 200,000 barrels of crude oil a year, and the petrochemical plant produces 2m tonnes of products.

At the beginning of October workers were told they had to accept;

1. A three-year pay freeze. This is at a time when, among other things, gas and electricity suppliers are putting up charges by 9-14%.

2. Cuts in pensions.

Workers voted for strike action, but were quickly given an ultimatum by the company, Ineos. Accept our terms without negotiation, and give up your right to strike for three years, or we will shut the plant down. It's up to you.

The union, Unite, really had no choice. Grangemouth workers will go back to work on the company's terms.

This is 'pure' capitalism, which denies the right of workers either to strike or to negotiate. How should trade unionists, and the left generally, react to this?

To find full details, and good journalism on this issue, go to

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk

[A.J.]

As the title of the thread quotes a line from the Godfather trilogy it feels appropriate to paraphrase Tom Hagen from Part 2;

Ratcliffe, well, he played this one beautifully

[Hit The North]

Another example of how the bosses hold all the cards. Now every boss will be emboldened to bully workers into submission. It's becoming more "work or die" out there all the time for working people and you can't blame them for thinking even a shit job with deteriorating pay and conditions is better than unemployment. Our only hope is in numbers. The working class need to rediscover the power of solidarity.

The sharp-end just got sharper.

[A.J.]

Here in Scotland we have just seen a classic capitalist triumph.

If you don't know the details, the industrial complex at Grangemouth in Scotland comprises an oil refinery and petrochemical plant. The refinery processes 200,000 barrels of crude oil a year, and the petrochemical plant produces 2m tonnes of products.

At the beginning of October workers were told they had to accept;

1. A three-year pay freeze. This is at a time when, among other things, gas and electricity suppliers are putting up charges by 9-14%.

2. Cuts in pensions.

Workers voted for strike action, but were quickly given an ultimatum by the company, Ineos. Accept our terms without negotiation, and give up your right to strike for three years, or we will shut the plant down. It's up to you.

The union, Unite, really had no choice. Grangemouth workers will go back to work on the company's terms.

This is 'pure' capitalism, which denies the right of workers either to strike or to negotiate. How should trade unionists, and the left generally, react to this?

To find full details, and good journalism on this issue, go to

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk

Unite's been completely humiliated by this, walking straight into a trap carefully set by ineos.

The only form of action that could have possibly re-gained the initiative here, IMHO, was to stage an occupation of the plant(as I understand it there had some chatter of replicating the 1971 UCS work-in).

However, I don't think the militancy of the workforce was at a level that such an action would have ever realistically come to pass.

[Futility Personified]

So is this the inevitable result of neo-liberalism? Complete dis-empowerment of the local workforce?

[Red Clydesider]

AJ, it's a gangster story all right. And I agree that occupation would have been desirable, but the workforce wouldn't have been up for it. Workers just seemed relieved that the plant wasn't going to be shut down. But I would like to think there were quite a few who had no illusions about the way they had been treated. They're not stupid. They had to accept that the game was up, but knew perfectly well they had been manipulated.

Hit the North - you rightly talk about the company bullying workers into submission. This reminded me of Cameron's speech in which he talked about the noisy but harmless demonstrations that took place outside directors' homes. He got quite worked up, saying no-one has a right to bully and intimidate. Indeed, Mr Cameron. No-one.

[Hit The North]

Red Clydesider, it is amazing how the narrative has been flipped by the media to one about workers employing bullying tactics against management, when it was management who said, "These are our terms and if you don't accept them then we're pulling the fuck out of Scotland." Refusing to negotiate or even temper their tone, giving the workers nowhere to go, basically a "sign or be sacked" ultimatum, these management scum are lucky they've not been on the end of worse treatment.

Cameron's been jumping on this like a dog with two dicks and, when given the opportunity to defend the workers at Grangemouth, Miliband flunked it like a star Labour leader. So business as usual :rolleyes:.

[ToldYouSo]

The Grangemouth workers were basically just made to bend over and take it. And here's a fun fact, my auntie used to go out with the union member who just stepped down:laugh: