Power station walkout in Runcorn in row over local jobs

Up to 1,000 workers at a power station construction site in Runcorn have walked out in a row over local jobs.

A GMB steward said a firm involved in building a thermal power station next to the Ineos Chlor chemical plant had broken an agreement over recruitment.

The walkout followed a protest by about 30 local people who said too many men were being employed to work on the site from outside Cheshire and Merseyside.

The company at the centre of the dispute has yet to respond.

James Farnworth, who works on the site, said: "These men have the total sympathy of all the workers here.

"I think it's a very unfortunate situation, one we would normally try to avoid, but these guys felt they had no option but to make their feelings known.

"It's an easy one to resolve - get the workforce more balanced in favour of local men."

According to GMB, only one of the companies involved in the construction has broken the agreement to hire local labour first.

The power station will be used to turn non-recyclable waste into energy, which will be used as part of the chemical processing.

Ineos Chlor is a major chemical producer and a PVC manufacturer.