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Action by
construction workers escalates in the 17th week of protests
16 December At the end of the summer
construction bosses embarked on a wave of wage cuts. If they thought they would
get an easy ride then they certainly don't think so now. As we approach
Christmas the fight back by construction workers continues. The following is a round up of reports from
electricians and construction engineers action across the country.
CARDIFF
50 electricians in the union Unite and their supporters gathered outside
Llandough hospital to protest against the plans of big construction companies to
withdraw from the Joint Industry Board (JIB) agreement on pay and conditions.
Spie Matthews, which employs construction workers who are building the hospital
extension, is one of seven multi-million pound companies attempting to force
through massive pay cuts of up to 35%, as well as a worsening of conditions and
an attack on trade union rights.
The electricians received support from Cardiff Trades Council members; also from
NSSN members in Unison (which organises health workers at Llandough); lecturers'
union UCU from Cardiff and Vale college, who deliver construction training
courses; as well as other unions.
Links are developing every day between public and private sector workers that
could enormously strengthen campaigns on both sides.
Public sector unions, for example, often have members sitting on bodies like
local health boards and could argue that any company which breaks the JIB should
not be given construction contracts.
Talk on the gates was of the Unilever strike a few days before, where workers in
the Pot Noodle factory at Crumlin, Gwent, managed to win the support of
temporary staff and agency workers for their strike action against pension cuts
last Friday.
The sparks called on the JIB unions, meeting employers tomorrow with Acas, to
back "action not distraction" and keep the pressure up on the companies.
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HUMBERSIDE
Protesting outside ConocoPhilips’ Humber
refinery in Immingham, 14.12.11, photo Alistair Tice
About 100 electricians from West Burton power station and BP Saltend, on strike
against the NAECI employers' pay freeze, converged on ConocoPhilips' Humber
refinery in Immingham at 6.30am today.
This site has been targeted by the sparks because Balfour Beatty employs the
electricians on that job.
Last Wednesday it was not clear how many Conoco sparks had not gone in or had
walked out, but today, after being addressed by picketing Unite stewards in a
car park meeting, 100, maybe more, electricians, scaffolders and laggers joined
the strike and swelled the protest lines.
Pickets expressed disappointment that no trade union full time officials were
present, wariness about Thursday's Acas talks (Nigel and Robbo said "there's
nothing to negotiate about, we're not signing up to BESNA"), and a feeling that
further action should be more than one day.
Stewards from Hull Unite No1 branch, Ian Bell and Paul Tattersfield, then
addressed all the 200 or so strikers.
Ian said that this was just the start of the action which would have to be
stepped up in January, and Paul explained the consequences if all construction
workers don't stand up to the bosses: "They want to take us back to the
Victorian times".
With a feeling of 'job done' for today, the protest dispersed - "See you next
time!"
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Construction workers' protest at Spie
Matthew Hall site, Liverpool John Moores university, 14.12.11, photo by John
Marston
MANCHESTER
In Manchester protest continued at the NG Baileys town hall site, where last
week the council agreed to look into the pay-cutting, deskilling and
blacklisting of both Baileys and Laing O'Rourke.
Pickets were cheered by the news that Unite's regional industrial sector
conference the previous day had elected representatives to two more positions on
the regional JIB board, including a 'rank and file' (R&F) supporter.
They will sit alongside leading R&F and Unite activist Steve Acheson who, when
elected to the board earlier this year, was the first trade unionist elected
(rather than appointed) into such a position since the JIB was created 43 years
ago.
The upswell of protest from below on the gates is being felt by the employers,
and reflected within Unite and now the JIB as well.
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LONDON
Over 150 sparks and their supporters held a protest outside the Kings Cross NG
Baileys site. This is a fantastic response in their 17th week of protest and
after last week's heroics at Blackfriars which saw Balfour electricians refuse
to go into work on both day and night shifts as well as many other workers.
Also there was a two hour stoppage at Grattes' site in Victoria which must have
cost the company tens of thousands of pounds.
The protesters this morning then marched off to Network Rail's office in Euston
and gave out Siteworker leaflets to its staff and customers explaining how their
safety would be threatened by de-skilling.
NNSN national chair Rob Williams, suspended Unison branch secretary at Queen
Mary's university, Vic Chechi gave support. Also, Jarrow marcher Paul Callanan
from 'Youth Fight for Jobs' spoke in solidarity on the day that youth
unemployment rose to 1.028 million.
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EAST MIDLANDS
1,000 workers were on strike at West Burton power station in North
Nottinghamshire.
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MARKINCH, FIFE
40 electricians, scaffolders and other trades picketed Scotland's largest
biomass plant, CHP, in Markinch, Fife.
Pickets came from Grangemouth Oil Refinery to join strikers from the plant. The
road backed up with cars and buses, and cars and lorries that turned back were
loudly cheered.
Although CHP is a Blue Book site, the Scandinavian companies who own the plant
have contracted work to a myriad of companies.
Many workers, including a substantial section of Polish workers, are either not
aware of the agreement or are having thier rights undermined.
Pickets gave out leaflets in Polish to workers going in, raising the issue of
lodging money not being paid by the companies.
It's clear that some going in to work had been told by managers to use the the
excuse that they were "safety cover".
Workers the previous day who were concerned about dangerous wind levels working
high above ground had been told that "safety cover" wasn't availiable.
Of the workers who went in to the site a significant number held a meeting in
the site and then walked out and drove home, some joining the picket.
A few of the lads commented that a lot didn't know about the action and that if
the union had made the national walkout official the site could have been closer
to being shut down as more would have had the confidence to walk out.
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LONGANNET, FIFE
There were 50 pickets at the entrance to the Longannet power station this
morning in freezing conditions.
Workers from Longannet were joined by trade unionists from the Grangemouth Oil
refinery as well as electricians from across Scotland.
Scaffolders and other trades were also involved in the action to oppose the
freezing of wages for workers on the 'Blue Book' NAECI national agreements which
cover wages and conditions for many working in the construction industry.
The queues of traffic backed up for miles as the pickets made a point of
speaking to all workers, staff, drivers et al to explain their case.
The pickets were successful in convincing a number of workers not to cross the
picket lines in solidarity.
Today marked an important extension of the action following last week's
widespread walkouts by the construction electricians at Balfour Beatty sites.
The threat to cut wages of their sparks by 35% by seven of the major
construction companies and impose mass de-skilling of the industry has provoked
the biggest industrial action since the 1970s in this sector.
The extension of action in defence of wages and conditions today by the Blue
Book workers also represents another step forward.
At the same time it is clear that unified national action of all workers
affected by the attacks of profit-hungry bosses is urgent.
A national strike ballot by Unite linked to a major recruitment drive of workers
into the union, backed up by unofficial action across the sector, is needed
quickly for January.
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Construction workers and supporters outside
the Liverpool John Moores university site, 14.12.11, photo by John Marston
LIVERPOOL
The Liverpool electricians' JIB protest was well attended again on Wednesday 14
December with over 25 people in attendance at the site on Clarence Street where
John Moores university is erecting a new building.
At one point a lorry with materials was turned away, and a site supervisor who
told the protesters to clear out the way was told in no uncertain terms: 'We are
fighting for our future and our children's future here mate, so you get out the
way, this lorry will not pass'.
The protesters stood firm and the lorry was sent on its way.
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NSSN LEAFLET AT SPARKS ACAS TALKS
Construction workers walk out to defend JIB & stop the NAECI pay freeze
Tell the Bosses - Retreat or we step up the action!
The 'Dirty 7' construction companies have finally been dragged kicking and
screaming to the negotiating table by four months of rank & file action which
has included protests, walkouts and stoppages.
This has culminated in last week's unofficial walkouts by electricians fighting
the new BESNA terms and on Wednesday December 14th these sparks being joined by
workers under the NAECI/Blue Book agreement fighting the imposition of a pay
freeze.
This has been the first national stoppage in the construction industry across
all trades since the building workers' strikes in the early 1970s which
infamously saw the 'Shrewsbury Pickets' jailed by the Tory government of Ted
Heath.
This action has been necessary because the bosses want to withdraw from the JIB
agreement and impose the BESNA terms which will lead to de-skilling of
electrical work and massive cutting of wages and terms and conditions.
Some will see their pay reduced by up to 35%! Yet Balfour Beatty (BBES) has an
order book of £15 billion and made £100 million profit over the last six months!
We call on all Labour councils, the Labour-led Welsh assembly and the SNP-led
Scottish government to give a commitment that they will not use any company on
any of their projects that withdraws from the JIB.
The pressure of this rank & file movement forced Unite into balloting its
Balfour members for strike action.
This was won by 81% but ruled out by the anti-union laws on a technicality. This
blatantly shows the class character of this legislation.
Balfours breaks national agreements, yet they can run to the courts while the
police are used to protect them and the other employers every week.
Last week, they used police dogs against the sparks at Blackfriars in London and
after the national demo on 9th November in London they kettled 200 electricians,
some in their fifties and sixties.
The talk is that Balfours only threatened an injunction. If this was the case,
Unite should have gone ahead with the official strike and forced BBES to go to
the courts.
If there is a re-ballot, we have to make sure it's just as overwhelming. In any
case, if it was needed, the 81% vote has legitimised this struggle - official or
unofficial - once and for all.
That was seen last week, with sparks refusing to go into work, showing Balfours
and the other six companies that workers will ignore their legal action to fight
for their livelihoods.
The fact that yesterday's talks at ACAS took place, should give construction
workers confidence that action works. Unite has to send the employers the
message: 'If you don't rip up BESNA, there'll be more action in the New Year'.
We welcome the negotiating team's implacable oppostion to BESNA. We support
blacklisted member of the Rank & File National Committee Steve Acheson being
included on the Unite negotiating team yesterday. We also believe that any
future talks need to be transparent and in front of the members. Any offer from
the employers should be put to a national meeting open to all electricians with
their travel expenses covered by Unite.
The deadlock at ACAS means that further action is necessary. We believe that it
needs to continue to be linked up with the NAECI/Blue Book sites that are
fighting a pay freeze.
We support the call to make 9th January the next national stoppage throughout
the building trade. This call has to go out to all those in dispute to see if
strikes can be co-ordinated, such as with the Unilever workers who went on
strike across the country last week to defend their pensions. Other private
sector employers are seizing the chance to attack hard-fought final salary /
defined benefit (DB) pensions. These include Ford, BMW, CEMEX and GE.
In Gwent in Wales, 156 out of the 160 workers were on the picket line! Also, we
support co-ordinating action with any future strikes by public sector workers to
stop the Con-Dems attacking their pensions.
The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) supports the call by Unison members in
Scotland for the next public sector general strike to be on 25th January, which
should reach out to workers in the private sector, like those in construction
and at Unilever and any others involved in struggles to defend their jobs, pay &
pensions.
Let's make 2012 the year that workers in the public and private sector win
famous victories against the bosses and their split government.
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