Blatant exploitation

Workers at the Fawley oil refinery will stage a second 24-hour strike tomorrow (July 27) in the dispute that sees foreign workers being paid half that of UK workers at the Southampton site.

About 20 specialist workers, employed by Italian company Nico Industrial Services Ltd, will strike from just after midnight tomorrow at the Esso refinery, after talks broke down.

Unite said that the Nico workers, mainly Bulgarians and Italians, are being paid about ÂŁ48 for a 10 hour-day, while the 270 other workers on the site, employed by other contractors, are on about ÂŁ125-a-day.

British workers employed by Nico are also paid the £125-a-day rate. The effect of the strike will be to slow up the site’s refining process as the specialist striking workers clean out the catalyst converter tanks.

“We have held talks with the management, but the bosses have dug their heels in, hence the second strike tomorrow,” said Unite regional officer Malcolm Bonnett.

“It is completely unacceptable that foreign workers are being paid half that of British workers, who are either working for Nico or for other contractors across the site.

“We are not going to stand by and allow this blatant exploitation to continue with a management hell-bent on a race to the bottom when it comes to wages,” he added.

“This dispute is about trade union recognition so that our members working for Nico receive equality of pay and terms and conditions. This is a dispute about basic fairness in the workplace.

“Unless the management comes to the table with genuine proposals to eradicate this pay inequality, further industrial action is very much on the cards.”