Unite's power station protest: we'll keep on knocking until you let
us in!
Date: Monday, 19th January 2009
Address: Staythorpe power station, Staythorpe
Road,Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG23 5PS
Time: 6.00am - 11.00am
Hundreds of skilled but unemployed construction workers, being
refused work at the Staythorpe power station, will begin sustained
demonstrations outside the site to call on Alstom to let them
in.
Unite, the union organising the demonstrations has warned that
the protests will spread to other power stations under construction
in the UK. Many employers in the energy sector are refusing to
consider local labour despite the credit crunch, and instead, use
non-UK labour to carry out the work.
Alstom has been contracted by RWE to build 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 has branded
the decision a national scandal.
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.
FMM told union officials that because they had no direct
employees themselves, they would supply their workers directly from
abroad and would not be giving any consideration to local
construction workers with years of experience of building power
stations throughout the Trent Valley.
Unite joint general secretary, Derek Simpson, said: “Our message
to Alstom is that we will keep on knocking until you let us in!
Staythorpe is a national scandal. We are seeing thousands of jobs
being lost daily but at Staythorpe there is skilled,
well-paid work available. It's a disgrace that local workers with
years of experience are being locked out of the job.
“Alstom have the power to insist that the sub-contractors end
this scandalous situation. UK workers must be given a fair chance
to get a cut of the action to build a new generation of UK power
stations. They are not asking for special favours they are
demanding fair play.
“The UK needs to upgrade and build new power stations and there
are huge opportunities to create thousands of well paid and highly
skilled jobs. It will be a disgrace if UK workers are shut out from
building their own power stations. Unite will not stand by and
allow our members to languish on the dole while there is work in
the UK.”
The government has invested billions of pounds into the economy
to support jobs during this recession. This strategy depends on
employers playing their part. Apart from the Olympics, engineering
construction is the only sector of the construction industry with a
visible workload going forward. Staythorpe, although the most
prominent, is not the only site where employers are refusing to
employ local workers.
Alstom has been contracted by Eon to build a gas-fired power
station near Grain in Kent. Unite sought assurances that Alstom
would provide a level playing field for UK workers during the
process for sub-contracting. The union pressed Alstom to include a
clause in the tendering process - that any sub contractor would
endeavour to use UK or local labour. Alstom refused and then
appointed a non-UK construction company, Remak, to build the
boiler. The union has been informed that Remak will not use any UK
labour.
ENDS
For more information contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315 or
contact Karen Viquerat on 07768 931 316 to organise interviews
outside Staythorpe on Monday morning.
