Ineos Drops Libel suit Against Grangemouth Union Leaders

After Ineos' clearly won victory over the trade union Unite in last autumn's dispute over the future of the Grangemouth, Scotland, site, charges brought against union leaders are gradually being dropped.

Late last week, Ineos said it had withdrawn its defamation suit against Len McCluskey, Unite's general secretary, and Pat Rafferty, its Scottish head, over remarks they had made against the company's board chairman, Jim Ratcliffe during the long-running dispute.

Ineos' retreat will make it liable for the union's costs, which could total more than £100,000, Unite believes.
In a statement, McCluskey said, "Ineos' reversal demonstrates that it was completely wrong in its attempts to drag our union through the high court. Unite expects no apologies from Ineos but we hope that this now draws a line under all dispute issues."

Ineos, in its own communication said it had dropped its claim, "to draw a line under last year's dispute and focus on working with our employees to build a strong future for the Grangemouth site by implementing the company's survival plan."

The survival plan, which among other things called for cuts in employees' pension benefits, was one of several bones of contention in the labor conflict. After Radcliffe threatened to close the mammoth production site on the river Forth, employees agreed to Ineos' demands.

In January, Stevie Deans, the former convenor for Unite at Grangemouth, was cleared by police of any wrongdoing. Ineos' local management's assertion that Deans had rigged votes for the Labour party in the nearby town of Falkirk while on the company's payroll was the spark that touched off the dispute.
Deans has since resigned from Ineos and gone to work - temporarily, it was said - for Unite.