Derek Simpson to lead march for fair access to jobs at Staythorpe
20th February 2009
Date: 10.30am, Tuesday, 24th February, 2009
Time: Assemble at 10.30am. March commences at 11.00am.
Assembly point: Great North Road, Lorry Park. The workers will
march from North Road, Lorry Park to Butter Market for a rally (see
notes to editors).
Leading a march of hundreds of unemployed construction workers
(Tuesday, 24th February), Unite’s joint general secretary, Derek
Simpson, will call for fair access to jobs for unemployed
construction workers being refused work at Staythorpe power
station.
Demonstrations will also take place outside Grain power station
in Kent between 6.30am and 9.30am (Grain Power Station, Isle of
Grain, Rochester, Kent ME3 0AF)
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
stations 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.
Unite is calling on the government to insist that companies
applying for contracts on public infrastructure projects sign up to
corporate social responsibility agreements committing contractors
to fair access for UK labour.
ENDS
For further information or to arrange an interview with Derek
Simpson, Unite joint general secretary, please contact Richard
O'Brien on 07768 931 320 or Karen Viquerat on 07768 931 316.
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