by René Lavanchy
Workers on power station and refinery building sites will be offered a new deal that meets almost all union demands – including an inflation-busting pay rise – after talks between union officers and shop stewards last week.
The deal, which will be incorporated into the national agreement for engineering construction workers, was hammered out at a meeting of employers and union leaders earlier this month, to avert the threat of a national strike across building sites. Details remained confidential until last Thursday’s conference.
Les Bayliss, Unite’s assistant general secretary, said: “If the offer is accepted by the workers there is the opportunity for industrial peace in an industry which has been plagued by unrest, thanks to certain unscrupulous employers.” Members will be balloted and the result is expected by next month.
From January 1 2010, workers will receive a 2 per cent pay rise, another pay rise in line with retail price inflation in 2011 and 12 paid leave weekends a year. A register of unemployed workers to be used to fill vacancies is to be planned.
Crucially, contractors will be audited before a building project starts to make sure that they will not undercut the national agreement on pay, a long-running suspicion among unions.
