Workers stage walk out at Grangemouth's Kinneil Forties Pipeline System

After the walk out on Tuesday, workers got in touch with The Falkirk Herald and stated: “After months of welfare facilities not being adequate we have been threatened with our jobs now as we make a stand.

"Ineos cannot supply suitable welfare facilities and we are bearing the brunt – they put about 40 of us in the Leapark Hotel and the drying room/changing room is a six foot by 8 foot cloakroom – it’s scandalous.

"Now, just under two weeks before Christmas we are being told if we don’t go onsite we won’t have a job.”

Workers say both the GMB and Unite unions are aware of the issue.

A Unite spokesperson said: “There was an issue regarding welfare facilities which actually started last week. Arrangements have been made to accommodate the issues workers raised. As far as the union is concerned at this stage the issue has now been sorted and the workers are back at work and on site."

Ineos stated they were trying to put the welfare of the workers first due to the extremely low temperatures and they agreed to have them leave the site.

An Ineos FPS spokesperson said: “Employee and Contractor welfare is very important to us. With the very low temperatures earlier in the week, facilities in temporary accommodation for a group of our contracting partners unfortunately became too cold.

“As a result, and to enable us to address the situation quickly, we, in conjunction with our contractors, agreed for the group to leave the site for the remainder of the day.

“We rectified the issue and the contractors returned to work.”

Once owned and operated by BP, the Kinneil FPS is an integrated oil and gas liquid transportation and processing system operating from the Central North Sea.

In 2018 Ineos announced a £500 million strategic investment in the FPS to reconfigure the system, extend its life and continue to support North sea oil and gas production.