by René Lavanchy
Power station and oil refinery building sites could be struck down by a nationwide strike after unions announced a strike ballot this week. Unite and the GMB are demanding that contractors in the engineering construction sector must be pre-audited to ensure they can afford to pay workers the nationally agreed rate. They are also asking for workers to be examined on their skills and a register of unemployed workers to fill job vacancies. The ballot comes amid strong distrust among unions over issues such as employing British workers and undercutting of pay, which have led to repeated wildcat strikes in the sector.
GMB national secretary Phil Davies said: “Workers in this industry have been victims of appalling bad management and they have been lied to on a regular basis. The skills register is needed to ensure that there are enough skilled workers to deliver the infrastructure projects needed… The pre-award auditing is needed to stop the lies.”
A third round of talks on revising the national agreement on engineering construction workers, which governs their pay and conditions, ended inconclusively this week. Employers are refusing unions’ demands for a pay rise. The ballot begins next week and talks resume on August 19.
