HOUSTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Striking workers are scheduledto return to their jobs next week at Royal Dutch Shell Plc's joint-venture refinery in Deer Park, Texas, said anofficial of the United Steelworkers union (USW), ending a neartwo-month walkout.
Workers will begin returning to work on Monday, said LeeMedley, president of the USW local 13-1. The 800 workers walkedoff their jobs when the largest refinery strike in 35 yearsbegan on Feb. 1.
The national strike spread to 15 plants including 12refineries that accounted for one fifth of U.S. crude oilrefining capacity. Only one refinery, Tesoro's Martinez,California, refinery was shut due to the strike.
Three Motiva Enterprises refineries in Louisianaand Texas co-owned by Shell and Saudi Aramco sawworkers returning to their jobs this week. The strike atMotiva's Port Arthur, Texas, refinery began on Feb. 21 with USWmembers at the Convent and Norco, Louisiana, plants walking offtheir jobs the following day.
USW members are also returning to work this week at TesoroCorp's Anacortes, Washington, and Carson, California,plants, the company said.
Meanwhile, strikers at Tesoro's Martinez, California,refinery are set to vote on the new contract this week.
But negotiations between the union and management at BPPlc's Whiting, Indiana, refinery were proceeding slowly,said sources familiar with the talks.
Representatives from the two sides have met for the past twodays at BP's joint-venture refinery with Husky Energy in Toledo, Ohio.
Company negotiators have also met for two days with USWmembers from LyondellBasell Industries' Houston refinery. A Lyondel spokesman declined to comment on Tuesday's negotiations.
Discussions between the USW and Marathon Petroleum Corp. toend strikes at the Catlettsburg, Kentucky and Galveston Bay,Texas, were moving at "a snail's pace," said a source familiarwith the talks.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; editing by Diane Craft)
