construction

Workers in the construction industry look to be gearing up for some serious opposition to the latest insult thrown at them by the employers. A new Rank and File coalition has been formed to oppose new contracts imposed by the employers with the connivance of full-time union officials. They are looking for help in distributing newsletters and bulletins on building sites.

Major construction firm Laing O'Rourke has recently imposed a new Contract of Employment on all its site workers, meaning large pay cuts for many and everyone having to rely on the employers' 'discretionary bonus'. Disgracefully, but not surprisingly, these attacks were fully supported by the full-time officials of the three major building industry unions - UCATT, TGWU and GMB. This treachery, coupled with the sudden imposition of the new contract ensured that where resistance did occur it was fragmented and unsuccessful.

Construction workers at the Lindsey Oil Refinery have defied the anti-union laws and won another wildcat strike against redundancies and victimisation. Following the previous strike in January and February, 1200 workers struck again on 11th June over the announcement of 51 redundancies without consultation, breaching the agreement which had settled it. Another contractor on site had just hired 61 workers, and strikers argued that the work should have been shared out among those made redundant.