The agreement follows talks between union leaders and employers of contract staff at the North Lincolnshire site.

Unions said the deal involved the reinstatement of 647 workers sacked for taking unofficial strike action and would be put to the workers on Monday.

The workers went on strike on 11 June after a sub-contractor cut 51 jobs.

It is thought those workers will also be offered jobs.

'Hours of negotiations'

The dispute sparked wildcat sympathy walkouts involving thousands of workers at power stations and oil and gas facilities across the country.

Les Bayliss, of the Unite union, said: "Following hours of detailed negotiations we now have proposals for a return to work which will be recommended by the stewards to the workforce.

"The employers have agreed to reinstate the sacked workers but the details have to be put to the workforce first."

Another union, the GMB, has recommended workers accept the deal and end the dispute.

The negotiations were adjourned after five hours in London on Tuesday and resumed in Manchester on Thursday afternoon.

Total was involved in the talks after previously refusing to take part.

Headquarters demo

Other sites affected by industrial included Longannet in Fife, Sellafield in Cumbria, Drax and Eggborough in North Yorkshire, Stanlow in Cheshire, Aberthaw in south Wales and Didcot in Oxfordshire.

On Friday morning, staff at Sellafield and Longannet returned to work.

The sacked Lindsey workers had been planning to stage a demonstration outside the Paris headquarters of Total next week.

They had been employed on a project known as HDS-3 to build a new site alongside the existing Lindsey plant.

Total fears the dispute has set the project back by months and that as a result it will cost an extra 100 million euros (£85m).

It has not yet commented on the outcome of the talks.

See also:

Lindsey refinery dispute settled

Financial Times: June 26 2009
By Brian Groom, Business and Employment Editor

A deal has been reached to end the dispute at Total’s Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire, which has sparked wildcat strikes at power stations and petrochemical sites across the country.

The agreement thrashed out between union leaders and employers of contract staff will be put to a mass meeting at the site on Monday.

Unions said the deal involved reinstatement of 647 workers at the refinery sacked for taking unofficial action in protest at a subcontractor’s plan to make 51 employees redundant. It is believed the 51 will also be offered jobs as part of the agreement.

Unions also appear to have won assurances that thousands of workers at other sites who took sympathy action will not be victimised.

Les Bayliss of Unite said: “Following hours of detailed negotiations, we now have proposals for a return to work that the unions will put to the members at Lindsey. Employers have agreed reinstatement of sacked workers. The details will be put to the workforce on Monday morning.’’

The GMB union said workers would be recommended to accept the deal and call off the unofficial strike.

Total said it was “pleased that the contract companies and the unions were able to reach a positive conclusion at the talks. We expect this means that the contractors will be able to get back to work as soon as possible and get the project completed on time with no further disruption and additional costs.”

The French group had said on Tuesday that although production had not been affected at the refinery, which produces about 223,000 barrels of crude oil per day, delays and stoppages on construction had cost it €100m (£85m).

Up to 1,200 Lindsey workers involved in building a £200m hydro-desuplhurisation plant have been on strike since June 11.

The engineering construction industry still faces the threat of a national strike ballot by up to 20,000 workers for official industrial action over jobs, pay and conditions.

The unions want an agreement that local workers will have priority for jobs, followed by other UK workers, with foreign staff only brought in if there are shortages.

At its peak the industry employs up to 30,000, but about 25-30 per cent are currently without work because large projects have dried up.