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Around 200 construction workers assembled today to protest outside the
entrance to the Westfield site at Stratford in east London. This was
part of an ongoing campaign by rank and file trade unionists against
plans by 8 major construction firms to break with national aggreements
and impose an effective 35% pay cut.
Click here and here to read more about this.
.
The fight is gaining momentum and we
are hearing that the employers and their clients are beginning to get a
‘little edgy’, Keep on keeping on, in
solidarity....................Jerry Hicks.
Press Release – Press Release---Press Release--- Press Release—Press Release 31st Aug 2011
Veteran
of the Labour movement Tony Benn addressed over 150 electricians in
Stratford East London today, 31 August 2011. Benn spoke to the
electricians who were demonstrating against the move by a breakaway
group of electrical contractors who want to set up an alternative
negotiating body which may undermine the preferred terms of the Joint
Industry Board, the current national negotiations body. Many of the
breakaway electrical contractors are the same ones who are prominent in
Blacklisting workers, Balfour Beatty, Crown House Technologies, N G Bailey and SPIE (Matthew Hall). However this is not deterring the demonstrators.
Electricians angry at the move to
deskill their trade & undermine their bargaining position have hit
back. The sparks in London have decided on a series of demonstrations
outside major high profile sites in the hope of building momentum and
support from other workers.
Speaking to the workers Tony Benn told them
that the essence of trade unionism was joining to together to become
stronger using an analogy of a child stuck in a well who asks his
rescuers to join their ropes together to get him from the bottom of the
well.
Other
speakers included Michael Dooley who is a candidate in the current
UCATT General Secretary election, Steve Hedley from the RMT and other
supporters.
Alan
Keys a spokesperson for the sparks said “this is a fight we will need
to win if we want to maintain our bargaining position. We only hope that
our union UNITE will move quickly in support of the sparks, but we will
proceed with our plans and future activities”
The next demonstration will be outside of the tallest tower being built in Europe,
Wednesday the 7th September 2011 at the Shard in London Bridge, from 6.30 a.m.
There are also plans for simultaneous demos in other parts of the country.
Please contact Alan Keys on
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