Italian and Portuguese construction workers, living on barges in nearby docks, were set to starting work there.
[9] On 30 January, around 700 workers at the Grangemouth Oil Refinery in central Scotland walked out in solidarity with the North Lincolnshire strikers.
[10] Following several days of talks between representatives from Total and the GMB union which were chaired by Acas, a deal was finally struck on 5 February and workers at the refinery agreed to return to work the following Monday.
[12] On 16 February an Acas report concluded that Total had not broken the law in employing Italian workers at the refinery.
"[20] Workers at the Lindsey refinery were invited to re-apply for their jobs, with managers at Total giving them a deadline of 17:00 on Monday 22 June 2009 to do so.
[21] Negotiations between Total and representatives of the GMB union were adjourned on Tuesday 23 June with some progress having been made, but sources said a number of "significant barriers" remained outstanding before the dispute could be resolved.
[22] Talks resumed on 25 June,[22] and an agreement was reached late that evening to end the industrial action, accepted at a mass meeting outside the refinery on the following Monday.