By Ben Winkley and Yvonne Lee
PetroChina Co. (PTR) said Wednesday that it hopes consensus can
be reached between management and labor unions at Scotland's
Grangemouth refinery, in which it owns 50%.
In a brief statement, the Chinese energy giant said it is aware
of the situation at the refinery, where operator Ineos Group
Holdings SA is expected later Wednesday to announce the results of
a shareholder meeting on the future of the plant.
The 210,000 barrels-a-day refinery, which powers BP PLC's (BP)
Kinneil oil terminal--a vital conduit for around 45% of total North
Sea crude-oil output--has been shut since Oct. 14 in preparation
for a strike that was subsequently called off.
Ineos, which has said the plant is in financial distress, set a
deadline of Monday for workers to respond to proposals on pay and
pension alterations. The Unite labor union said Tuesday that
two-thirds of its members had rejected the company's plan.
Write to Ben Winkley in London at ben.winkley@wsj.com and Yvonne
Lee in Hong Kong at yvonne.lee@wsj.com
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