Construction workers deliver petition to Downing
Street
10th February 2009
Date: 11th February 2009, 1.00pm
to 1.30pm
Venue: Number 10, Downing Street (see
notes to editors)
Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, together
with a delegation of Unite members working in engineering and
construction will deliver a petition to Number 10, calling on
Gordon Brown to insist that employers give UK workers fair access
to work on UK engineering and construction projects.
Following the delivery of the petition,
construction workers will meet with MPs and peers in the Houses of
Parliament to put forward their case for fairness not favours.
The petition signed by thousands of
engineering and construction workers, many of whom are currently
unemployed, also calls for overseas workers to be paid in line with
agreed UK rates. Unite believes that the best way to achieve this
is to ensure that UK workers and their unions work side by side
with overseas workers.
Unite's joint general secretary, Derek
Simpson, said: "Today, construction workers are delivering a
message directly to Number 10. They are not asking for any favours,
just fairness. Companies applying for contracts on public
infrastructure projects must commit to fair access for UK labour.
The government is beginning to grasp the seriousness of the present
situation but we now need to see the follow through. The government
must ensure that construction companies sign up to Corporate Social
Responsibility agreements,which commit to fair access for UK
labour.
"No European worker should be barred from
applying for a British job and absolutely no British worker should
be barred from applying for a British job."
Coordinated protests will also take place
outside the Staythorpe power station in Nottinghamshire and the
Isle of Grain power station in Kent. Hundreds of skilled, but
unemployed, construction workers are being refused work at the
power stations.
Alstom, the main contractor at both power
stations, is using two subcontractors at each of the sites, both of
whom are refusing to consider local labour.
Alstom has been contracted by RWE to build the
Staythorpe power station, a gas fired power station near Newark.
Two companies, Montpressa and FMM, have been subcontracted to carry
out construction work on the site. These two non-UK contracting
companies say they have no intention of employing any local labour
to undertake the work. 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) and another 250 to
build the pipe connecting the two. None of these jobs will go to UK
workers.
At the Isle of Grain, two sub-contractors,
Remak and ZRE have also refused to consider applications for work
from UK-based labour. Unite estimates that the two sub-contractors
will require 450 workers over the lifetime of the project. Alstom
has been contracted by E.on to build the power station.
ENDS
Contact: Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315 or
Pauline Doyle on 07976 832 861
Notes to editors
Those members of the delegation who will not
be delivering the petition to number 10 will be available for
interview in Parliament Square while the petition is delivered.
Time: 1.00pm to 1.30pm
Venue: Parliament Square, near the Churchill
statue.
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