A protest by British oil refinery workers about jobs lost to Italian and Portuguese rivals has spread to involve sections of the workforce at four other big industrial complexes. Strikers say foreigners are taking much needed British jobs. Here is Mike Sanders of our Europe desk:

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The Lindsey refinery's owner, the French firm Total, says its decision to hire an Italian firm to build a multi-million-dollar extension won't entail redundancies for British workers.

Italians to be housed on barges nearby may have to run the gauntlet of pickets.

Mike Sanders, BBC

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oil refinery
an industrial site where oil is processed and purified

picketing
protesting outside a building to prevent other workers from going inside (particularly when they have a disagreement with their employers)

for the third day running
for three consecutive days; for three days that come one after another

spread to
reached, affected (more industrial plants)

to hire
here, to give work to

extension
here, a new building next to the already existing one that will make the plant bigger

entail redundancies
result in/lead to job losses

barges
a barge is a long flat-bottomed boat normally used for transporting goods

to run the gauntlet
to have to deal with a lot of people who are against you

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