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GMB WARNS
BP, DU PONT AND BRITISH SUGAR OF LYNDSEY MARK TWO DISPUTE AT HULL
CONSTRUCTION SITE AS 430 WORKERS ARE LOCKED OUT
GMB call on
BP, Du Point and British Sugar to join with unions in order get
engineering construction members back to work on �200m bio fuel
ethanol plant at Saltend, Hull
GMB wants BP,Du Point and British Sugar
to intervene to allay increasing fears that the �200m engineering
construction project to build a bio fuel ethanol plant for them at the
Saltend Site in Hull
will be the scene of another Lindsey type dispute with the project
manager Jacobs replacing the UK based labour force building the site
with exploited overseas labour. In 2009 Lindsey Oil Refinery was
involved in a dispute over the exclusion of UK workers from the site
to be replaced with lower paid overseas workers.
BP, Du Point and British Sugar make up a
consortium Vivergo Fuels Ltd which is client for this project. Vivergo
Fuels Ltd awarded the contract to manage the project to Aker Process
part of the US Jacob Group. The role of the project managers is to
source tenders for the contract to build the plant.
The engineering construction workforce
is employed by a range of contractors under the National Agreement for
the Engineering Construction Industry. Redhall Engineering Solutions
Ltd was awarded the contract for mechanical piping within the scope of
work in February 2010 with 316 manual workers and 134 staff workers.
Other contractors are DSL (Deborah Services Ltd) Scaffolding with 63
manual workers, SEC Electrical 40 manual workers, Syntex Engineering
Services with 17 manual workers, FB Taylor with 10 manual workers and
Mammoet Cranes with 15 manual workers .
On 11 March notice was served upon
Redhall Engineering Solutions Ltd by Vivergo Fuels Ltd for performance
related issues, thereby terminating any agreement between themselves
and Redhall Engineering Solutions Ltd. Redhall Engineering Solutions
Ltd issued a communiqu� to the workers stating that as from 07.31 on
Monday 14 March 2011 they will no longer be employed by them and
should turn up for work to be transferred under TUPE legislation to
either Vivergo Fuels Ltd or any contractor that is given the contract.
When the members turned up for work yesterday Aker Process Ltd on
behalf of Vivergo Fuels Ltd denied any liability to employ the
transferred staff. This leaves GMB members in an impossible situation
in that they have uncertainty of employment and are not receiving
wages from 07.31 on 14
March 2011. Workers from the other contractors have been sent home on
full pay.
Les Dobbs GMB Senior Organizer said �GMB
members have increasing fears that the dismissal of the
UK based workforce will lead to them
being replaced with lower paid exploited overseas workers. Jacobs, who
own Aker Process the project manager on this site, were also involved
at Lindsey Oil Refinery when the dispute arose over the exclusion of
UK workers from the site to be replaced with lower paid overseas
workers and are therefore knowledgeable of the concerns and damage
that this type of dispute can cause. I am calling on BP, Du Point and
British Sugar to ally these fears and to intervene now to get everyone
back to work.
GMB members are effectively locked out
by the main contractors. Demonstrations have already started in
Hull, Middlesbrough and
Newcastle upon Tyne.
Those paying for the
building of the site BP, Du Point and British Sugar have to get
a grip of this problem before the situation deteriorates further.
End
For further information contact Les
Dobbs � 07966 327967 or 01482 218 018 or GMB press office 07921 289880 |
