Oil refinery workers looking to the future

A jobs fair has been held to help workers at an oil refinery who are at risk of losing their jobs secure future employment.

Lindsey Oil Refinery was taken over by the official receiver in June after its owner, Prax Group, went into administration, leading to 124 employees being made redundant in October.

A further 250 staff have been guaranteed employment until the end of March at the North Lincolnshire site, which was bought by Phillips 66 in January.

David Cook, 63, who has worked as a pipefitter at the site for 21 years, was among those who attended. He said: "We know our jobs, but we don't know anything different. That's why we're here, looking to learn stuff."

Cook added: "It's been tough because we didn't know when it was coming to an end.

"It's been a difficult time. There's one or two of us... we've been there a long time."

Nick Gregory, from Grimsby Jobcentre, said the event, which was held at Immingham Civic Hall, was about identifying workers' "terrific transferrable skills" and matching them to employers.

He said: "We've brought together a wide range of employers who have got live vacancies and we want to match the employees from Lindsey Oil Refinery and the supply chain to the employers we have got.

"It just makes it easier for individuals rather than just having to go to a single employer. Having them all under one roof just makes it a lot more convenient, it gives a good atmosphere."

One of the employers at the event was Stacey Robinson, who works for BAE Systems.

She said: "We've got a few sites that are local to this area, and we've got quite a few roles that we're currently recruiting for, which match the skillset of those from Prax Lindsey.

"It's great to meet people first hand as well, get to know them and the skills that they have, and then we can have a look at how we can fit that into our business."

The acquisition of Lindsey by Phillips 66, which runs a refinery next door, is expected to be completed in the coming months.

The company said it planned to integrate the operations, including "storage and other infrastructure assets", into its own site.

However, it said it had decided not to restart standalone refinery operations at Lindsey because it was not "viable in current form", but there would be opportunities to "drive future growth" in renewable and traditional fuels.

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "Our first priority is the workers and following discussions with government, Phillips 66 has committed to interviewing all of the current workforce that apply for future roles where they meet the qualifying criteria.

"We also took immediate action last year to fund a Training Guarantee for refinery workers affected by the closure, to ensure they all have the skills they need and are supported to find long-term jobs."

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