Edinburgh Construction Workers Protest Over Pay Cuts

Edinburgh construction workers are to stage a protest over plans to cut pay by 30%.

Rogue employers, who are tearing up long held Scottish national agreements, are being blamed for the cuts.

Workers in five of the eight breakaway companies have been contacted by their managers with the instruction to sign new contracts on lower pay, terms and conditions, or face dismissal in December.

The employers want to withdraw from five long-held agreements and replace them with a new agreement, which will allow employers to introduce semi-skilled grades and dictate rather than negotiate on pay, holiday entitlement, overtime, and what constitutes away work.

Dozens of workers, members of the country's largest trade union, Unite, will be staging their protest outside Edinburgh City Council on Thursday 22 September to coincide with the day the council meets to confirm its decision to award the new Portobello High School building contract to Balfour Beatty, one of the eight employers behind the breakaway move.

Balfour Beatty and another seven breakaway construction companies, which are imposing semi-skilled grades into the mechanical and electrical sector in Scotland, have caused outrage with workers.

Unite regional officer, Scott Foley explained: "Our members in Edinburgh are furious about this attack by these so-called reputable companies aimed at reducing our members' income by up to a third.

"The companies are trying to bulldoze their plans through by ripping long-standing Scottish national agreements without any negotiation.

"These rogue employers should pull back from the brink as their brutal onslaught on workers' skills, pay, and terms and conditions is causing widespread anger among workers."

Balfour Beatty, Crown House Technologies, Spie Matthew Hall, Shepherd Engineering Services and NG Bailey have issued Unite with legal notice of their intention to dismiss, with notice, thousands of employees before re-engaging them on new inferior contracts.

(JG/GK)