The Coalition government has established a formal inquiry into the tactics of unions in industrial disputes in the wake of the bitter Ineos-Unite battle at Grangemouth. The prime minister’s office said the wide-ranging review, headed by Bruce Carr QC, would investigate allegations of the use of ‘leverage tactics’ by the unions as well as the impact of such disputes on the critical national infrastructure. (Ref. 130714)
However, in a sign of Coalition government tensions, the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable, made clear that as the relevant government minister for the inquiry, he had only agreed to it on the basis that it would also examine the practices of employers (including blacklisting).
The inquiry was specifically sparked by claims that Unite sought to intimidate executives from Ineos, including sending demonstrators to protest outside their homes and at premises associated with Ineos chairman, Jim Ratcliffe.
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