Job cuts at Flotta oil terminal 'significant' says union
A total of 12 Repsol employees have left, mostly through voluntary redundancy.It now has 51 staff at the terminal, with some moving to part time roles to stay in employment.The main contractor at the site is Petrofac which has carried out 17 compulsory redundancies - which it said was in response to the changing needs of its client - leaving it with about 40 workers at Flotta.Two other contractors, Altrad and ESS, also operate at the terminal.Unite claims "hostile" polices towards oil and gas are partly to blame for the cuts.The UK government has said its Energy Profits Levy, known as the windfall tax, aims to ensure North Sea oil and gas producers contribute their fair share towards energy transition.
New ownership
At its height, the Flotta oil terminal processed 400,000 barrels of oil a day.The oil is delivered by pipeline from North Sea oil fields and then shipped away by oil and gas tankers.Recently the flow of oil has slowed but the facility is expected to remain in operation until the early 2030s. Repsol UK has investigated green hydrogen production at the Flotta site and creating a decommissioning hub but the plans have come to nothing.The terminal is due to pass into new ownership later this year when a deal between Repsol UK and Norway's Neo Energy is completed.The new company, Neo Next, will be controlled by the Norwegian company, which will have the majority share.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
a few seconds ago
- Wales Online
Update issued on Cardiff transport strikes ahead of busy gig weekend
Update issued on Cardiff transport strikes ahead of busy gig weekend The strike action would have come at a time of several high-profile events in the city Strike action that would have seen hundreds of city bus drivers walk out has now been suspended as the result of a revised pay offer. The industrial action in Cardiff was supposed to take place from August 17 and was due to run for three weeks, ending on Sunday, September 7. The strike actionby 450 Unite members working for Cardiff Bus was due to an ongoing dispute over pay conditions. The bus service is the primary bus provider for the Welsh capital and its surrounding areas like Barry and Penarth. If it went forward the industrial action would have fallen on days of major events in the city like gigs by Tom Jones, Will Smith, and Basement Jaxx at Cardiff Castle. Working conditions were also a major bone of contention among union members as Unite alleged that timetabling issues left workers unable to take proper breaks and staff often faced long walking times to reach the break facilities. In a previous update, Cardiff Bus had said it had offered to raise the pay rates by 5.86% but union members had rejected the offer as it left drivers below levels in the rest of the UK. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here. However Cardiff Bus bosses have confirmed the strike action has been postponed after a revised pay offer was put forward. Unite will now be holding another ballot on the revised proposal, which will take place from August 15 to August 29. The union has confirmed all strike dates are currently on hold as the bus company has now put forth an "improved pay offer" to its members and has also proposed changes to working conditions. These changes include longer breaks and improved sickness terms. Unite regional secretary Peter Hughes said: "Cardiff Bus has returned to negotiations and put an improved offer on the table. "Unite has therefore suspended strike action to allow members to be balloted on the proposals." Bosses at Cardiff Bus are now urging workers taking part in the ballot to accept their revised pay offer. Craig Hampton-Stone, managing director of Cardiff Bus, said: "We were pleased to hear of the suspension of the planned industrial action from Sunday to allow for another workplace ballot to be undertaken. "I would urge all taking part in the ballot to accept the latest revised offer." Cardiff Bus has confirmed that its usual services will continue. Article continues below In a reminder to customers the bus service added that its usual Sunday timetables will be in operation for the bank holiday on Monday, August 25.
Scottish Sun
a minute ago
- Scottish Sun
Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub
DIDDLY SQUIRT Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JEREMY Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his The Farmer's Dog boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one. TV star Jezza, 65, will also flog bottles of the condiment at his Diddly Squat farm as it meets his UK-only ingredients condition. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Jeremy Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one An Isle of Wight company took on the challenge after the subject arose on Clarkson's Farm. It came after thousands of requests for ketchup at Jezza's pub in Burford, Oxon, saw staff put up a sign urging diners not to bother asking for it. The firm, Condimaniac, uses Isle of Wight tomato passata, apple cider vinegar from Hants, Essex salt and British sugar and onions. Boss Kier Kemp said: 'Making a 100 per cent British ketchup after Jeremy Clarkson alerted us to the fact there wasn't one was very hard. "We had to put on our big boy pants.' The firm made 1,700 bottles for its first order to be sold at the pub's one-stop butcher and bottle shop and at Clarkson's farm in Chipping Norton. The firm's own supplies of the £7.95 red sauce have sold out. A source close to Clarkson's pub said: 'Jeremy and the team support the British food and farming industry. 'So he made no apologies for not selling ketchup, no matter how many times staff had to let customers down. 'But the pub's always said that if a British company could do it with all-British ingredients, it would get on the menu. Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan admits she is 'not making any money from farming' despite show appearance 'Hopefully it'll be a success.'
The Sun
a minute ago
- The Sun
One in 7 high street shops now stands empty… we don't need government tweaks to a broken system – we need radical reform
OUR high streets have had a tough time in recent years — battered by a global pandemic, war, energy shocks and soaring inflation. Yet despite it all, shops have kept going — serving their communities, creating jobs, and showing remarkable resilience. 3 3 But resilience isn't a plan for growth, and nostalgia won't pay the bills. If we are serious about bringing our high streets back to life, we need to stop papering over the cracks and fix the system for good. That means a tax regime built for today, not for the 1500s — a time before supermarkets, retail parks and the internet. Right now, retail accounts for just five per cent of the UK economy but pays more than 20 per cent of all business rates. That's an immense burden and it falls most heavily on the very businesses that invest in local places, local jobs and local people. It is no wonder that there were around 100,000 fewer jobs in retail at the start of 2025 than the year before, the equivalent of losing every job in the UK steel industry three times over. Since 2015, the sector has shed around 350,000 jobs, and new research suggests another 160,000 part-time roles could vanish if costs rise further — exactly the kinds of jobs that provide flexibility to hardworking families. Physical retailers are businesses that play by the rules, open their doors every morning and form the backbone of our communities. Meanwhile, online sales have more than doubled in the past decade. Why are so many shops going bust? At the height of the pandemic, they made up 37 per cent of all retail — and while that has dipped slightly since, online is still booming. Yet the digital giants face nothing like the same tax burden, and contribute next to nothing to the Government's tax receipts that pay for the NHS, our emergency services, roads and welfare. This clearly, is not fair. The health of the high street is also a bellwether for the health of the wider economy This is a system designed for a different age. Business rates were first introduced in the 1500s, when physical property was a proxy for wealth. Today, that logic just doesn't hold. We now see a massive imbalance that punishes our local communities. To be clear, this isn't about the high street asking for a handout. It's about giving retail a fair shot. Fair deal Our sector is the UK's largest private employer — supporting three million jobs; in sales, marketing, accounting, logistics and many more. Retail has all the career disciplines needed for a growing economy. The health of the high street is also a bellwether for the health of the wider economy. When shops shut, town centres hollow out. Footfall fell by 1.7 per cent in July, and one in seven high street units now stands empty. The ripple effect has an immediate impact on the community: nearby independents see sales fall, bus routes get quieter, and the whole centre loses momentum. That affects everything from local policing and public transport to housing demand and health outcomes. The Centre for Retail Research now predicts that store closures will rise to around 17,350 this year — the highest level in more than a decade. That is nearly 50 shops a day closing their doors for good, leaving empty units, boarded windows and fewer reasons for people to visit their town centres. The loss is not just economic — it chips away at the social fabric, reducing spaces where people meet, work and spend time. Once a shop shuts, it is far harder and costlier to bring it back, meaning each closure represents a long-term wound to the health of the high street. To their credit, the current Labour government has done more than its predecessors, with proposals to support smaller stores with targeted business rates relief, which are of course welcome. But we cannot end up with just tweaks to a system that needs radical reform and reset. You can't fix a broken model with just a few sticking plasters. We need to ask a bigger question: what should a modern, fair retail tax look like? One that reflects how we all actually shop, and one that rewards investment in jobs and premises. After everything the high street has been through, asking it to carry even more weight would be the final straw for many. The Government must ensure that no shop pays more in the upcoming Autumn Budget. Retail isn't asking to be saved, it's asking for the rules to be fair. If you give the high street a fair deal, it will more than repay you — with jobs, opportunity, and of course a vibrant local community. Let's not forget that a healthy high street with tills ringing means more money into the coffers of the Treasury, giving the economy a much needed boost to growth. Theo Paphitis, TV Dragon and owner of Ryman, Robert Dyas & Boux Avenue 3
