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Staythorpe power station workers tell Alstom to give them fair access to jobs

4th February 2009

• Demonstration: Alstom HQ, 175 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7AA
• 11am until 2pm, Thursday, February 5th, 2009

Unemployed construction workers refused work at a Nottinghamshire power station are taking their fight for fair access to jobs directly to the London HQ of Alstom, the company at the centre of the row, tomorrow (Thursday).

Carrying placards bearing the message "Alstom, give us a chance", the workers will be pressing Alstom to ensure its sub-contractors, Montpressa and FMM, open up their contracts to UK workers so that they can contribute to the construction of the Staythorpe power station.

Unite estimates that 600 jobs will be needed to build the power station's turbine and boiler (Montpressa will fit the turbine and FMM will fit the boiler). A further 250 workers will be required to build the pipe connecting the two.

Unite is seriously concerned that none of these jobs will go to UK workers, and believes that this dispute further demonstrates the concerns of workers across the construction sector that UK interpretation of EU law could be preventing UK workers from applying for local jobs.

Following the admission by FMM to Unite officials that they would supply their workers directly from abroad and would not be giving any consideration to local construction workers, even though the workers had years of experience of building power stations throughout the Trent Valley, Unite has been organising regular demonstrations outside Staythorpe power station.

Unite joint general secretary, Derek Simpson, said: “Our members are not asking for special favours - they are demanding fair play. The UKneeds to upgrade and build new power stations and there are huge opportunities to create thousands of well paid and highly skilled jobs. It will be a disgrace if UKworkers are not even allowed to apply for jobs to build British power stations.

“Alstom has the power to insist that the sub-contractors end this scandalous situation. UKworkers must be given a fair chance to get a cut of the action to build a new generation of UK power stations.”

ENDS
For more information contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315 or Karen Viquerat on 07768 931 316 to organise interviews at the demonstration on Thursday morning.

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