Unite, the UK’s construction union, has written to the company
building an energy from waste site in Ellesmere Port, accusing it
of engaging in practices resulting in a race to the bottom for
construction workers conditions and undermining national
construction agreements. The Hooton Park project is being
built by Danish company Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian
Contractor (BWSC), at the Peel Environmental site. At its peak
the site will employ over 400 construction...Request free trial
Unite, the UK’s construction union, has written to the company
building an energy from waste site in Ellesmere Port, accusing it
of engaging in practices resulting in a race to the bottom for
construction workers conditions and undermining national
construction agreements.
The Hooton Park project is being built by Danish
company Burmeister & Wain
Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC), at the Peel Environmental
site. At its peak the site will employ over 400 construction
workers on the project.
Once operational the client Cogen will process 240,000
tonnes of waste into energy every year.
BWSC has indicated that they will pay wage rates in
line with the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction
Industry (NAECI) however BWSC has refused to sign up to the
agreement, denying workers overtime rates and other benefits,
workers are denied employment protection and Unite is denied access
to the site.
Unite believes the failure to sign up to the NAECI
agreement also indicates that the BWSC is also failing to meet the
provisions on the training of apprentices, which is resulting in a
further widening of the construction skills gaps.
Unite has secured the support of the local MP who raised concerns about the
undermining of the NAECI agreement and the race to the bottom in
Parliament last week (Thursday 28 March).
The actions of BWSC would be illegal in its home
country due to the way Denmark has interpreted the European Union’s
Posted Workers Directive. Under their interpretation all companies
are obliged to follow the relevant industrial
agreement.
Unite regional officer Steve Benson said: “Unite members have
made it clear that they are not going to stand idly by and allow a
race to the bottom, where their pay and conditions are constantly
eroded.
“Unite will be further enlisting the support of local MPs to assist
with our campaign.
“It is the height of hypocrisy that BWSC is prepared to undermine
construction industrial agreements in the UK, when it is required
by law to apply them when operating at home.
“If Cogen and BWSC do not swiftly right this wrong then further
action will be taken to ensure that they do so.”
