{"id":5040,"date":"2015-07-31T15:42:35","date_gmt":"2015-07-31T14:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=5040"},"modified":"2015-07-31T15:42:35","modified_gmt":"2015-07-31T14:42:35","slug":"honour-national-agreements-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=5040","title":{"rendered":"Honour national agreements call"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Local authorities are being asked to say how much they are paying to use the energy-from-waste plant being built at the Wilton complex on Teesside in a bid to prove that the cash-rich employer can pay the national rates of pay to workers.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe survey of councils across the UK by Unite has been prompted by serious concerns about the employment and recruitment practices at the construction project, a joint venture between Sita and Sembcorp.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe focus of the dispute is that the project is being built outside of the terms of all the national agreements (CIJC and NAECI) for the construction industry which have been in place for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite has members working on the \u00c2\u0141200 million energy-from-waste plant and is critical about the lack of access to workers at the project. This follows on-going concerns about undercutting of wage rates and the failure to abide by the recognised national agreements, as well as health and safety issues; the latest being one of the protesters allegedly hit by a vehicle entering the complex today (July 31)<\/p>\n

 
\nAlso today Romanian workers contacted the protestors informing them that they had not received the \u00e2\u201a\u00ac6 per hour pay for the last two months – once again Unite calls on Sita\/Sembcorp to investigate both of today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s claims.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite is also worried at the lack of job opportunities for people from the local community. The union would like to see the companies taking the lead on apprenticeships and ensuring opportunities are available for young people.<\/p>\n

 
\nThere also appears to be a high number of agency labour onsite operating through umbrella companies who are employed with no employment rights.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are in the process of contacting all of the local authorities across the country to determine how much money Sita is being paid to manage waste services,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite regional officer Steve Cason.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe believe the total awarded contracts will run into billions of pounds, so the issue is not that Sita can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t afford to pay the rates for the job — it just won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pay the rates for the job,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe could see a situation where the infrastructure to burn waste is completed and owned by Sita and, as competition is wiped out, prices to remove and burn waste from local authorities could rise, placing an unfair burden on the council taxpayer.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mounting protests<\/strong><\/em>
\nHighly skilled construction workers and their supporters are protesting every week outside of the chemical complex (pictured) over the issue of undercutting the national rates of pay in the construction sector \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and these protests are set to continue.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnion members from Unite, the GMB and Ucatt have also vowed to step up the protests within Sita\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supply chain.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSita\/Sembcorp could put an end to the mounting protests at any time by ensuring a forensic wage audit is carried out on the site, but they adamantly refuse to do this causing the dispute to escalate,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Cason said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOther issues raised included bonus and overtime rates, as well as holiday pay.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nCason emphasised that the ongoing protests will continue until Sita\/Sembcorp comes clean about its wages and employment practices.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSupport from around the country is growing amongst construction workers who see their national agreements under threat from unscrupulous employers,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey have vowed to come together nationally to defend their future, not only for themselves, but for the young people that enter the industry as apprentices.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe call on the Sita and Sembcorp management to genuinely engage with us in meaningful and constructive talks, and adhere to the tried-and- tested national agreements.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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