Construction workers ‘short changed’

Members of Unite will be holding a series of protests tomorrow (July 24) over a ‘race to the bottom’ in pay, conditions and safety at the £800m energy to waste construction site at Parc Adfer in Deeside, north Wales.

Campaigners will be protesting from 7.30am outside Flintshire County Hall, Mold, CH7 6NB as well as from 9am outside the London offices of the American firm Wheelabrator, Portland House, Bessenden Place, London SW1E 5BH and the French contractor CNIM, Harmsworth House 13-15 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8DP.

CNIM has been appointed to deliver the Parc Adfer project by its client, the American firm Wheelabrator, for the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Partnership which is led by Flintshire county council and includes Conwy County borough council, Denbighshire county council, Gwynedd county council and Isle of Anglesey county council.

CNIM and its appointed sub-contractors are refusing to apply national construction agreements. Workers on the site are being paid just the living wage of ÂŁ8.75 an hour which is 61 per cent below the standard rate of ÂŁ17.39 an hour as covered by the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) agreement.

Tomorrow’s protests come ahead of a meeting next week with the first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones and Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail, where Unite will raise concerns over blacklisting and the exclusion of qualified local workers.

“The lengths that are being gone to undermine national agreements on this public private partnership construction project are shameful,” Cartmail said.

“Workers are being short changed out of the proper rate for the job, while industry agreements, health and safety, and welfare provisions are being picked apart.

“National agreements work for both workers and employers. Workers receive a fair rate of pay and operate in safe environment, while projects are delivered promptly to high standard on budget.

“The local councils involved in the project, Wheelabrator and CNIM need to take a long hear look at themselves and end the ‘race to the bottom’ by starting to honour national construction agreements.”