Unite to boycott top Scottish construction awards ceremony, as
‘rogue’ employers gear up to slash pay by 30 per cent
3 October 2011
Unite will boycott a prestigious construction industry awards
ceremony in Glasgow on Friday 7 October as rogue employers, wanting
to slash pay by 30 per cent, will be at the swish black tie
occasion.
As the bosses look forward to tucking into top Scottish fare and
fine wines at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Unite, the largest union in
the country, said it would be boycotting the Select Electro
Technical Awards because seven leading construction companies are
trying to steamroller cuts to pay and conditions by an arbitrary 7
December deadline.
The seven employers, including a winner at last year’s event,
Crown House Technologies, want to tear up five national agreements
that have been in force in Scotland for the last 40 years.
Unite regional officer Rab Sherry wrote to the organisers
saying: ”It is, therefore, our view that Unite should not attend
this year’s ceremony when the likelihood is that those intent on
imposing these changes will be present and, quite frankly, our
attendance would send out the wrong messages to our members.”
Construction workers will protest outside the luxury Radisson
Blu Hotel in Agyle Street from 6.00pm on 7 October - an hour before
the event starts.
The actions of the employers have sparked demonstrations from
construction workers across the UK, as thousands of skilled
employees face the sack from 7 December, unless they sign draconian
new contracts that could see their pay pockets slashed by up to 30
per cent.
Five of the seven have upped the stakes. Balfour Beatty, Crown
House Technologies, Spie Matthew Hall, Shepherd Engineering
Services and NG Bailey have issued Unite with legal notice of their
intention to dismiss, with notice, thousands of employees before
re-engaging them on new inferior contracts.
The rogue employers want to introduce semi-skilled grades and
dictate rather than negotiate on pay, holiday entitlement,
overtime, and what constitutes away work.
Unite regional officer, Scott Foley said: ”The construction
industry in Scotland is a major engine for economic recovery, yet
these rogue employers want to sabotage long-established agreements
in the industry.
”This could mean that thousands of skilled construction workers
from the Shetlands to the Borders losing their jobs, unless they
accept these new draconian contracts that could see their pay
packets slashed by up to 30 per cent.
”We know that important clients of these companies are very
unhappy about this course of action as they see this as a recipe
for on-going industrial unrest - a situation that Unite wishes to
avoid, but not at the expense of our members’ income.
”As a sign of our disgust at these rogue employers attending
this award ceremony, Unite will boycott the event.”
ENDS
Notes to news editors:
For further information please contact Unite communications
officer Liane Groves on 07793 661657 and Scott Foley on 07810
157915
The seven major break-away contractors currently involved are:
Balfour Beatty Engineering Services Limited; N G Bailey Building
Services; Crown House Technologies; Gratte Brothers; Spie Matthew
Hall; Shepherd Engineering Services (SES); and T.Clarke Plc.
Unite has been told by these major employers that they will no
longer be party to the following agreements: SJIB (Scottish Joint
Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry); SNIJIB
(Scottish and Northern Ireland Joint Industry Board for the
Plumbing Industry); HVAC (National Agreement for the Heating,
Ventilating, Air Conditioning, Piping and Domestic Engineering
Industry); MPA (Major Projects Agreement).
