JIB talks sabotaged by employers!
First they offer a ‘paltry’ 1.5% then they try & pick our negotiating team
But the
cheeky b*****ds objected to one of our team, well we could have said we object
to all your team, but we are reasonable people. Anyway fair play to Unite, they
stood their ground and the talks never went ahead. SEE BOTTOM OF THIS UPDATE FOR
A REPORT
The next
meeting is due to be held in London in early May, what will happen remains to
be seen.................. so watch this space.
Please think
about protesting in your areas similar to london over agencies even if it’s
just a few people leafleting a site, it really winds them up! We can provide
leaflets if you need some please email us @ siteworkers@virginmedia.com
The great
agency rip off is not going away, in fact it’s getting worse. The 12 week rule
is being ignored where you are meant to be taken on direct with same terms and
conditions as company workers.
So next week’s demonstration/protest
is very important. Tuesday 1st May at 6.45 at ‘The Shard’
London Bridge Station, Mace site entrance in the bus terminus.
This will be
on ‘International Workers Day’ so let’s try and make it a big one. Please
support this demo which we intend to repeat every week until further notice.
URGENT Information: One of our best stewards has been suspended from Ratcliffe on trumped up charges of bullying. We all know who the real bullies are and it’s not Unite stewards.
‘An injury to
one is an injury to all’.
We will keep
you informed how that goes but we may be
calling on your support soon we must stick together at times like this.
UnionNews has learned that the first in-depth talks since the end of the
so-called BESNA dispute last February have been suspended after the employers
refused to negotiate with elected rank and file sparks representatives.
It
is understood employers objected to the participation of a long-standing union
activist who is known to have been blacklisted.
Unite
targeted BESNA clients such as supermarkets in the campaign against pay cuts)
It
comes as Unite officials have been attempting to negotiate an improvement on
what is described as a ‘paltry’ 1.5% pay increase offered to construction
electricians and other trades by one of the industry organisations.
Negotiators
have so far rejected the offer, saying it would amount to a 15-month pay freeze
for members.
Following
the success of the seven month campaign against proposed cuts to pay, skills
and safety levels by seven major construction industry employers, activists and
Unite’s leadership insisted that rank-and-file reps should be part of the
formal negotiating team in wide-ranging talks aimed at setting long-term
agreements across the construction sector.
A
frequent demand during the course of the dispute was that issues such as
blacklisting, ‘bogus self-employment’ and the increasing use of agency workers
and sub-contracting should be at the forefront of negotiations about the future
of the construction industry.
In
the face of forecasts of a fall in production of up to 3% across the sector this
year, employers have continued to press for changes to working practices as
well as cost-cutting.
The
sector continues to account for some 7% of the UK’s overall economy, but has
contracted by more than £20bn since the recession hit in 2008, according to
industry figures.
Sources
say talks on pay and other changes had reached a ‘crucial stage’ when the
employers raised objections to the composition of the Unite delegation.
A
further meeting is scheduled for early next week between Unite officials and executives
from the construction companies.
Unite
is insisting it will not accept any attempt by the employers to decide who
makes up the delegation.
“These
are elected branch officers and reps,” one official told UnionNews.
“They
[the employers] have never objected before and we will not allow them to break
up our team now.”
For more details of demos protests and meetings near you please visit.....
#@JerryHicksUnite on Twitter
Tel: 07817827912
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