Engineering construction workers lift strike threat

London - The 30,000 engineering construction workforce have voted to accept an amended offer on pay and conditions in workplace individual ballots held over the past weeks, the GMB has announced. The offer was accepted by 62% votes for and 38% votes against by the members, who had rejected an earlier offer.

The amended offer was in response to claims from the unions GMB and Unite. As well as a 2% pay rise, the demands included: a national skills register and a procedure to ensure all workers have appropriate skills,2 a register of unemployed workers in the industry which the employers must use to fill vacancies; a transparent, effective and pre-award auditing system to monitor ‘Blue Book’ rates and other benefits that apply to all and to ensure that those winning tenders have the ability to pay the agreed rates.

Workers on seven sites had already voted for industrial action in pursuit of the claim. The sites were BP FPS Grangemouth and Ineos Grangemouth in Scotland, Sellafield, Shell UK Stanlow and Staythorpe RWE in Nottinghamshire and Chevron Pembroke and Aberthaw in Wales.

Phil Davies GMB national secretary, said: “The progress made with the audit and skills check now entitle our Stewards and Officers to check the intentions of Contractors before the job starts and our Shop Stewards will be able to check the qualifications of any worker. There are other very important aspects of this settlement including the pay increase of 2%.

“We will now start to negotiate with the ECIA on a National Register. There will be a comprehensive document sent on the improvements that have been agreed. The NAECI Blue Book will then be reprinted. GMB is determined to change the attitude to employment in the industry and will work to secure the necessary changes to achieve this outcome.”