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Construction workers fighting to defend T & Cs across UK

W

where to

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Not heard about this anywhere, but just saw this very interesting youtube video.



From what I gather 8 major construction firms are ripping up long-established terms and conditions and offering staff semi-skilled pay rates. There seem to have been a series of protests and direct action interventions (including a site invasion as seen in video above) in response, and at least 1 firm has now backed down.

The employers want to withdraw from five long-held agreements and replace them with a new agreement which will allow employers to introduce semi-skilled grades and dictate rather than negotiate on pay, holiday entitlement, overtime, and what constitutes away work.

But five of the eight have upped the stakes. Balfour Beatty, Crown House Technologies, Spie Matthew Hall, Shepherd Engineering Services and NG Bailey have issued Unite with legal notice of their intention to dismiss, with notice, thousands of employees before re-engaging them on new inferior contracts.
Click to expand...

Lindsay Oil Refinery is involved again with 1500 walking out around one week ago, but without the (media created) racism angle this time the media aren't interested. In Edinburgh dozens lobbied the council over to a new high school construction contract that which one of the renegade firms (Balfour Beatty) are in for. I have seen reference to another demo in London on 5th October at Park House, Oxford Street London but not sure if this is going ahead.

Unite info: http://www.unitetheunion.org/sectors/construction/unite_for_me_workers.aspx

Good articles: http://www.powerinaunion.co.uk/construction-demos-continue-to-defend-national-agreements/ and http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/110026

Good audio background on this from Union News: http://union-news.co.uk/2011/09/spitting-sparks/
 
This is horrible news. I am sure these companies are becoming more confident of such actions because of the Tory government. They are obviously all working together to reduce their wage bills. If the big firms get away with this it will put downward pressure on wages in all the smaller employers who will argue that they cannot compete without cutting wages. Let's hope Unite has the bottle for a fight, they are big but usually a bit soft at the top. The lead needs to come from the grassroots members which appears to be what is happening.
 
Given how dangerous their workplace becomes when firms start to cut corners like this, good luck to them - keeping their T&C's will probably save quite a few lives.
 
On top of the safety aspect the new T&Cs would mean a 35+% pay cut for many workers. This has been going on for weeks now - the King Cross thing happened at the 6th weekly protest, previously there was a full site invasion at Farringdon and there's been weekly early (very early) pickets at certain sites. That's the sort of thing community union members should be ideally placed to help with.
 
Worth checking here :

Electricians Against The World
...providing the most accurate and up to date information concerning the attack on the Electrical and Mechanical National working agreements
Click to expand...

And:

Protests

LONDON - Wed 5th October - 6:30am - Parkhouse, Oxford Street. Opposite Selfridges (turn left/west out of Bond Street Tube) T.Clarkes Job

GLASGOW - Wed 5th October - 6:30am - Cambuslang, Fire Training Project, Clydemill Industrial Estate

NEWCASTLE - Wed 5th October - 6:30am - TO BE CONFIRMED> KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR UPDATES

Meetings

TEESIDE - Tue 6th October - 7:15pm - Belle Vue Social club, Kendle Road, Hartlepool, TS25 1QU. Guests from the Newcastle committee to give advice on how to take it forward

GLASGOW - Sat 8th October - TO BE CONFIRMED> KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR UPDATES

LONDON - Tue 11th October - 6:30PM - Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holburn. Bernard McAuley and others will be in attendance
 
Similarly , ALL the employees of Shropshire (county) Council started work today on new (much worse) terms and conditions, again having been sacked and reemployed. Some say their entire package (including pension) is about 10 to 15% worse than before !

The brutal reality of the capitalist class' determination to "turn out all our collective pockets" to pay for their economic crisis is finally hitting home - after the relatively "Phoney War" period since the crisis broke in 2008.

Fortunately, despite the gloomy pessimism of some, there is plenty of evidence across the UK, and even in the USA, of a Fightback beginning to happen. Good luck to the Sparks !
 
then again there is a lot of paper selling going on there, thought that had died a death in the cyberspace era...
 
I hear that similar things are happening in Cheshire, Ayatollah - some of them quite brutal. People want to keep their jobs, of course, - but the 'job' has now been re-named/re-defined. People have now to apply for their own job which has been redefined. It mostly means that you're forced to do 1 1/2 jobs for the same salary. (Of course the top echelon is not in the least affected by all of this.) The utter cynicism of these changes makes me wonder why every civil servant doesn't take to the streets and protest. I know people right now very close to breakdown because of the greater workload they are carrying, plus extra hours of working to get from their original job venue to the new all hot-shot disco dancing venue many many miles away. But it's a job, we must never forget this. It pays your mortgage. Food on the table for your kids. It's difficult to know what to do for the best. Aren't the bastards shite? Haven't they been shite for, oh, 35 years?
 
where to said:
Not heard about this anywhere, but just saw this very interesting youtube video.



From what I gather 8 major construction firms are ripping up long-established terms and conditions and offering staff semi-skilled pay rates. There seem to have been a series of protests and direct action interventions (including a site invasion as seen in video above) in response, and at least 1 firm has now backed down.

Lindsay Oil Refinery is involved again with 1500 walking out around one week ago, but without the (media created) racism angle this time the media aren't interested. In Edinburgh dozens lobbied the council over to a new high school construction contract that which one of the renegade firms (Balfour Beatty) are in for. I have seen reference to another demo in London on 5th October at Park House, Oxford Street London but not sure if this is going ahead.

Unite info: http://www.unitetheunion.org/sectors/construction/unite_for_me_workers.aspx

Good articles: http://www.powerinaunion.co.uk/construction-demos-continue-to-defend-national-agreements/ and http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/110026

Good audio background on this from Union News: http://union-news.co.uk/2011/09/spitting-sparks/
Click to expand...


did hear about this yeah, good luck to them.
 
Good luck to them. In defence of the UNITE officials - organising a lawful ballot which involves multiple employers across a sector is no easy task giving the extent of the anti-union laws. But you can understand the frustration and desire for wildcat stoppages.
 
Electricians protest Glasgow Select Industry awards


Around 200 electricians and construction workers protested outside the Select Industry awards on Friday 7th October in Glasgow. They were continuing to keep up the pressure against 35% pay cuts. They were joined by banners from Glasgow Right to Work campaign, Glasgow City Unison branch, Southside Glasgow Against the Cuts, Save the Accord Centre campaigners and Unemployed Workers Against the Cuts.

The guests of the industry awards where jeered at as they passed through the crowd of protesters on either side of the hotel entrance. Shouts of ‘call a ballot’ were heard as Unite the union address the crowd at the end of the protest.
Click to expand...

If i remember right this was the target of the anti-blacklist campaign in previous years.
 
Inspiring actions, good luck to 'em.

If it's hit egyptian attentions, wonder if they're coughing up for the paper version of the socialist worker yet ;)
 
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