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Workers agree new construction deal with employers

24 November 2009

Unite members have voted to accept an offer from the Engineering Construction Employers Association on a new national agreement which should bring stability to a crucial sector responsible for building a new fleet of UK power stations.

Unite, the biggest union in construction, recommended the new deal which will address many of the grievances that workers have recently experienced. Unite believes the deal will provide a level playing field to move forward and will address the lack of transparency surrounding the tendering and auditing process that allowed for the exploitation of migrant workers and the undercutting of the national agreement.

There are now provisions for trade unions to ensure any overseas contractors comply with the NAECI agreement.

Unite's assistant general secretary, Les Bayliss, said: “We are pleased that our members have accepted the deal which we believe provides an opportunity for stability in an industry which has been plagued by unrest, thanks to certain unscrupulous employers.

“With a significant number of new build projects on the horizon, the construction industry is hugely important to the UK economy and will help bring the UK out of recession.

“Unite will be working closely with employers to ensure that the agreement is implemented.”

Tom Hardacre, Unite national officer for construction said: “It is in everyone's interest to make the new agreement work. We want to move forward in a positive way to ensure that there is fairness and access for all workers in the engineering construction sector.”

The National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) has operated since 1981. If the new agreement is accepted it will run from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2011.

Details of the offer can be found at www.njceci.co.uk

ENDS

For more information contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931315 or Liane Groves on 07793 661 657

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