Coryton workers protest as first jobs go

Date posted: 20-06-2012

THE first batch of jobs have gone at Coryton as workers and politicians continue to fight for a solution.

“The real failure at Coryton is that of the Government’s lack of support for jobs and UK refinery capacity.’

In a comment following the meeting this afternoon about Coryton oil refinery and the protest of workers outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change local Essex MEP Richard Howitt, who has worked tirelessly to support the plant and marshal support here and in Europe for temporary state aid, says

“I fully understand the anger of the Coryton workers protesting today and join them in condemning the inaction of this Government.

“The first redundancies announced earlier this week are a bitter blow for the workers of Coryton and their families who have worked so hard since the New Year to help the plant to operate at peak efficiency until a new buyer was found.

“The failure to find a buyer for the refinery is lamentable given the high level of initial interest and the success elsewhere in Europe of selling off the other bankrupt Petroplus plants.

“And the real failure is that of the Government – whilst the French immediately put in state aid to support their refinery in trouble, the British government has not even formally consulted the European Commission about the option of state support.

“No wonder everyone at Coryton feels so let down.

“I hope a last minute rescue is possible as no one wants to see these jobs lost and the refining capacity lost to the UK.

“Coryton is a highly regarded refinery operation and it would be a sad day to see the plant used soley as a storage facility.

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