Union demos target Alstom at UK energy facilities
16 Feb 2009
London - Hundreds of skilled but unemployed construction workers last week staged co-ordinated demonstrations outside the the Staythorpe and Isle of Grain power stations to call on Alstom to give UK-based labour fair access to work. They claim, that the company, which is 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, according to the Unite trade union.
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 said 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.
Unite is calling on the government to insist that companies applying for contracts on public infrastructure projects, sign up to Corporate Social Responsibility agreements which commit to fair access for UK Labour.
The union's joint general secretary, Derek Simpson said: "Unemployed construction workers are asking for fairness not favours. Alstom has the power to insist that the sub-contractors end this scandalous situation. UK-based labour must be given a fair chance to get a cut of the action to build a new generation of UK power stations.
"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."
