Grangemouth refinery owner Ineos seems "determined" to spark a strike, union officials said yesterday before a stormy second round of talks.

Ineos provoked another war of words with Unite yesterday after a spokesman told Bloomberg reporters they had ordered a complete shutdown of the plant over the next few days, with all units in "cold status" before a 48-hour walkout begins on Sunday night.

But the announcement flew in the face of assurances to Reuters reporters two days earlier that they had accepted the union's offer of a skeleton crew to ensure the plant stays on "hot standby."