The demonstration, with banners and placards, moved off to the headquarters of Alstom, the French engineering group, where a lively picket was held. One worker, who had brought along a Union Jack, was asked to put it away, which he did, saying he had nothing to do with the racist BNP. An Italian photographer urged the worker to display the flag, but union stewards step in to prevent this, saying they did not want to give anybody the wrong message.

In an echo of the Lindsey oil refinery dispute, workers claimed that Spanish subcontractors, Montpressa and FMM, working at the Staythorpe power station, are refusing to employ local construction workers, preferring instead to employ workers on lower terms and conditions from abroad. While workers saw the agreement at Lindsey as a step forward, the war was not over.

‘Socialist Appeal’ was the only political group at the demonstration at the beginning, where we made most of our sales. Later the SWP turned up with their paper ‘Attack the bosses not foreigners’, which was not an issue for those workers present. The walkout at Lindsey was over trade union terms and conditions and not against the foreign workers. ‘British jobs for British workers’ was whipped up by the capitalist media. As Phil Willis, an unemployed steel erector, who has been out of work for over a year, said: “I have more in common with workers in Latvia, Poland and Italy than any employer.”

All in all, it was a good demonstration, which expressed the real bitter feelings of those workers in the construction industry. As a contribution to the workers’ struggles, ‘Socialist Appeal’ comrades are producing a 4-page special about the problems facing construction workers. This should be used throughout the country wherever construction workers are in dispute and will be of great use in explaining the real issues to those workers outside of the industry. We also managed to get a leaflet out which went down well amongst the construction workers. We must make sure that our material is used to the full in cutting across the distortions of the media and presenting the real grievances of the workers. What is clear is the fact that this dispute, which has involved illegal and unofficial action and solidarity action, is simply the beginning of the struggle of workers nationally to defend themselves against the growing attacks of the employers.