500 Hinkley construction workers stage canteen sit-in

Grant Prior 6 years ago
Share

Around 500 construction workers at Hinkley Point started a canteen sit-in on Tuesday following a row over overtime pay.

Workers stage sit-in. Picture courtesy of the BBC
Workers stage sit-in. Picture courtesy of the BBC

Workers at the massive nuclear job downed-tools after not getting paid over the weekend when the site was shut due to heavy snow.

Many workers are not local and stayed near the site rather than returning home.

The protesters are employed by the Kier/BAM Nuttall joint venture carrying out civils work on the site and the action was continuing Wednesday morning.

One operative at the site told the Bridgewater Mercury: “Construction staff are currently taking part in a sit-in strike in the canteen at Hinkley C.

“EDF is refusing to pay the weekend pay even though people stayed local ready to work. There are about 500 of us.”

Asked how long the strike was expected to last, the worker said: “Until they pay us.”

Another worker said: “This is not an organised, union-backed strike. We have withdrawn our labour because we are at the end of our tether.

“A senior manager came out and spoke to us just before 12, asking us to get back to work and was met with a resounding ‘no’.”

Another told the BBC: “We got kicked off site last Thursday because of the snow. We couldn’t go home. We had to report in each day.

“I stayed in digs for four days. I was meant to be on shift Thursday to Sunday, but I’m not being paid for the weekend, just Thursday and Friday.”

A spokesman for EDF said: “The majority of the Hinkley Point C workforce are working as normal today. A smaller number of workers are disputing payments for bad weather and they are being encouraged to return to work.

“Employees who were unable to work at the site during recent bad weather will be paid in line with agreements signed with the trade unions.”

EDF sais the safety of its workforce is paramount and a decision was made to close the site on Thursday ahead of the bad weather.

Work was carried out over the weekend to ensure the site was available for a safe return to work this week.

Peter Hughes, South West Regional Secretary for Unite said: “It is completely unacceptable for Kier/Bam to decide not to pay its workforce while those workers remained available for work during last week’s extreme weather and across the weekend”.

“The current problems at Hinkley were not organised or caused by Unite but the actions of their employers; however the union is currently in intensive negotiations to seek a resolution to the issues with both Kier/Bam and the client EDF.

“Unite understands that workers were told last Thursday during the working day to return to their lodgings.

“The union’s members were due to work the weekend and were available to work; although were instructed not to report for work due to the red weather warnings.

“On their return to site this week they were advised via text that they would not be paid Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the union continues to seek an acceptable and negotiated settlement to these issues”.

Latest news

Laing O’Rourke makes a £288m loss

Rampant inflation on fixed-price jobs and problem contracts blow hole in accounts
2 hours ago

Keltbray, OCU and Clancy clinch £1bn electricity network upgrade

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks awards biggest ever deals for central southern England
22 hours ago

G&T enlisted for commercial review of HS2 main civils contracts

Phase 1 Main Works Civils Contracts to come under the cost scrutiny
18 mins ago

TClarke order books doubles to top £1bn for first time

M&E specialist on track to exceed £500m turnover this year
1 hour ago

Wates signs Government safety remediation pact

Private builder belatedly signs fire safety developer remediation contract
2 hours ago

Liverpool all-electric industrial park approved

McLaren and Caddick in chase for Sefton 800,000 sq ft Atlantic Park scheme
13 hours ago

Former Buckingham Group MD to join John F Hunt

Simon Hyams is new Managing Director for Contracting
22 hours ago

Three in race for retendered £150m A9 dualling job

Bidders take another look after client takes on more risk
1 day ago

Clancy tops £300m revenue in fifth year of growth

Civils contractor delivers £13.5m pre-tax from water and energy sector work
24 hours ago

Tower crane collapses on Edinburgh resi site

Jib falls onto apartment block under construction: Video
2 days ago

Salboy drops office space from Viadux Phase Two

Developer to focus on Manchester residential towers of 76 and 23 storeys
2 days ago

Warwick Uni plan for science and engineering campus

370,000 sq ft science and engineering precinct submitted for planning
1 day ago

Morgan Sindall chalks up Greater Manchester schools treble

Bury, Stockport and Wythenshawe school jobs will create 1,600 pupil places
1 day ago

Plans in for £65m Blackpool multiversity campus

Council leads plan for Talbot Gateway learning campus
1 day ago

Laing O’Rourke wins first phase of £700m Oxford R&D district

Landmark Red Hall and two labs to be built in phase 1a of Oxford North scheme
3 days ago

Ardmore wins retrofit deal on £200m Chancery Lane office

Building will be transformed to provide 105,637 sq ft of office space
3 days ago

Construction’s “Leading Lights” recognised

More than 50 winners in latest Considerate Constructors Scheme awards
2 days ago

Balfour Beatty clinches £20m Norfolk coastal defence jobs

Firm will install rock armour at Cromer and Mundesley
2 days ago

Architects join construction union Unite

Section of Architectural Workers forms official branch
3 days ago

Boot to build £20m lightweight aviation composites factory

Work starts on Sheffield University's COMPASS R&D facility
2 days ago

GMI secures £27m Leeds City College job

Site clearance underway for new Mabgate campus
3 days ago

Balfour signs deal with Koreans for UK power transmission jobs

Contractor strengthens large-scale onshore power transmission capability
3 days ago

36 storey south London build to rent flats tower approved

Construction to start next year on £220m Croydon scheme
3 days ago

Hunt for firms for £400m volumetric offsite deal

Procurement for Housing aims to expand its pool of firms on major offsite framework
3 days ago

Graham wins £87m Jock’s Lodge junction upgrade

Spring start for East Riding A164 improvement scheme near Beverley
6 days ago

Giant concrete pour at HS2 Curzon Viaduct: Video

Over 2,000 cubic metres create the first two 90 metre viaduct deck structures,
3 days ago

Cladding safety contractors told to wear body cameras

Insurance giant AXA to record remedial work
3 days ago

Colmore Tang Construction enters liquidation

Birmingham builder wrapped up after 10 years
6 days ago

Competition warning over Hanson deal to buy Mick George

Watchdog raises concerns over competition in East of England and the East Midlands
6 days ago

Worker lifted to safety as blaze engulfs McAlpine site

Crane driver lifts man to safety in cage from burning town centre building in Reading
7 days ago

Contractor services