UK class stuggle 12 April on

Construction workers locked out but going nowhere
Monday 11 April 2011
by Paddy McGuffin, Home Affairs Reporter
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Hundreds of workers "locked out" of a contract at a biofuels plant in Humberside staged a sit-in protest today at the site after management walked out of talks.
Around 200 construction workers staged the protest outside the Saltend site near Hull after the GMB union said that talks at the conciliation service Acas had broken down due to management intransigence.
Over 400 contractors employed by Redhall Engineering Solutions have been "locked out" at the site in Saltend for nearly a month after the project for Vivergo fell behind schedule.
Vivergo - a consortium made up of BP, Du Pont and British Sugar - said it ended its contract with Redhall because of "significant performance issues."
But the workers fear that the aim is to replace them with a lower-paid workforce.
A protest is also being planned outside BP's annual meeting in London on Thursday.
GMB regional official Les Dobbs said: "The employers walked out of the Acas talks although the unions were prepared to continue talking to try to resolve this dispute."
He also said that he anticipated a similar number of protesters to attend a further demonstrations at the Saltend site tomorrow.
GMB general secretary Paul Kenny said: "It is reprehensible that neither the contractors nor the site's owners BP seem to care about these workers who have been locked out.
"GMB does care and will escalate the campaign for justice.
"If BP thought that this problem would quietly disappear, they lack any real knowledge about GMB and its members.
"BP has had ample opportunity to help resolve the dispute but they have chosen to ignore the injustice to these workers."
Responding to the protest Vivergo Fuels said: "We are appalled by the behaviour of some demonstrators including an element of the Redhall Engineering Solutions workforce earlier today, outside our Saltend site.
"This action is both irresponsible and ill-considered, with those involved being determined to cause the maximum disruption to parties completely unassociated with their dispute."
The firm claimed it remained committed to "working with the unions concerned in a bid to help resolve the issues raised" but said that the issue was between Redhall and its affected workforce.
A spokesman for Humberside Police said: "The protest resulted in the eastbound carriageway being closed and diversion being put in place and led to traffic delays in the area.
"The road started flowing freely at around 10.30am as the protest came to an end. The protests were peaceful and no arrests were required to ensure the road reopened."

Morning Star


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UNISON members in Connexions strike against the loss of support/careers services to young people and against up to 36 compulsory redundancies.

From Birmingham Against the Cuts

Twenty Connexions workers walked out on strike from the Northfield Centre at 1pm today. They held a lively protest outside the building for an hour and were well received by passing motorists, who gave their support in the customary fashion. Afterwards, they went on into town for the city centre rally.

Over two hundred Connexions workers joined an inspiring rally outside the Council House at 2.30 on Wednesday. Some marched down Broad Street from their office. Others joined from two other centres that were on strike, Kings Heath and Northfield.
Complete with music and speeches, a defiant message was sent out to the ConDem council that this vital service for young people would not lie down or be attacked without fighting back.
Amongst the speakers were Labour group leader Albert Bore and Jack Dromey MP. While their presence was to be welcomed, no commitment to reverse these cuts was given if Labour were to be returned to power in Birmingham in May, or at the national level if the ConDem coalition were to fall.

Nevertheless, good weather and an uplifting protest made it an enjoyable event and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Brum Wob





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Anti-nuclear activists currently blockading EDF in London
Boycott EDF | 11.04.2011 07:33 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Energy Crisis
ACTIVISTS BLOCKADE QUEEN’S BACK YARD TO BRAND ENERGY GIANT’S NUCLEAR POWER BID A ‘RIGHT ROYAL RIP-OFF’


Campaigners brought rush hour traffic to a standstill this morning to protest against EDF Energy’s plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK. All four lanes of the A302 outside EDF Energy’s headquarters in Grosvenor Place – which runs alongside the gardens of Buckingham Palace – were sealed off shortly after 8am using 14-foot tripods. The cleared zone was then declared a ‘nuclear disaster area’.

Campaign group, Boycott EDF, says the energy giant is spearheading a ‘nuclear renaissance’ which could see the construction of at least ten new nuclear reactors – a move spokeswoman, Bella Benson, claims will spell disaster for the UK.

Photos


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