A third of staff at Lindsey Oil Refinery will lose their jobs at the end of October.
The announcement follows the collapse of parent company Prax earlier this year. Despite multiple offers from companies willing to take over the facility, none of these has been deemed credible by the UK government, and the plant has begun winding down.
125 employees were told they were being made redundant after the workforce was reportedly split into two rooms to learn their fate following a shift earlier this week. It is understood the remainder of employees will be retained until further notice.
Thousands more jobs are expected to be lost indirectly.
In a statement, Unite the Union – which represents many refinery staff – accused the government of failing to provide sufficient support to safeguard jobs and industry, allowing redundancies to proceed “prior to bids even being considered.”
The union also warned that the closure of the refinery, which supplies around 25% of the UK’s diesel, would increase reliance on imports, posing risks to energy security and driving up costs for consumers.
Local MP Melanie Onn has been contacted for comment.
More to follow.
Part of the Gi Grimsby News team since 2020.