Laing O'Rourke Workers Solidarity - Meeting
Ewa J | 26.10.2004 00:46
Everybody welcome to the meeting below. The anti-capitalist movement in this country hasnt really made meaningful links with grassroots workers struggles since the Liverpool Dockers Dispute in 1995. Whenever workers' struggle credentials or credibility need to be proven, the Liverpool Dockers struggle, which anarchists and anit-capitalists accomapnied, is held up as a pretty much solitary example. This is a struggle which looks set to escalate and will need as much support as possible. Solidarity begins at home. Lets get on board!
Text of leaflet for Wednesday's meeting being given out at Terminal 5, CTRL Kings Cross, Canary Wharf and Newham Hospital sites
Don’t fall for the Laing O’Rourkes “contrick”
The tax-man is the driving force behind the new contract. We’re all going to end up on the cards whether we like it or not. The question is whether we go on PAYE with a cut in money or with the same take home pay as now. The new contract cuts our basic pay and introduces a complicated bonus system that can be withheld at management discretion. No one denies this – not even the company.
The company is trying every trick to con us into accepting the new “contrick”. We are being called into small meetings where UCATT union officials and company managers telling us to sign up to the deal or else we will be down the road. UCATT should be ashamed of themselves – they have become part of the Laing O’Rourkes machinery – industrial relations policemen against the workforce.
Against all the national agreements in the construction industry, Laing O’Rourkes are trying to ban GMB union officials from the CTRL site. What are they scared of? A workplace meeting that might elect reps & upset the applecart?
The contract has been agreed between UCATT and Laing O’Rourkes as some kind of national sweetheart deal. The shuttering chippies, concrete finishers, groundworkers, plant operators and labourers who do the actual work on Laing O’Rourkes jobs have not been part of the negotiations. But it is us who will suffer because of it. We have not given our consent to the deal. We demand no cut in pay. We all have bills, rent, mortgages to pay – we need guaranteed money not a promise of it if the site agent thinks we deserve it.
There should be a national ballot of all Laing O’Rourkes workers to accept or reject the deal
If there is going to be a new contract, then we demand:
• NO CUT IN TAKE HOME PAY
• NO COMPLICATED DISCRETIONARY BONUS SCHEME
• FULL HOLIDAY PAY (BASED ON AVERAGE TAKE HOME)
• FULL SICK PAY
• PENSION SCHEME
• REDUNDANCY PAY
• EFFECTIVE START DATE FOR EVERYBODY SHOULD BE WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED WORKING FOR LAING O’ROURKES NOT WHEN WE SIGN THE CONTRACT
STICK TOGETHER
We have already had one walk-out and held meetings off site, we are all over the newspapers. Workers on Canary Wharf, Terminal 5 and Ascot are all up in arms. We are already in talks with them. This deal needs to be re-negotiated NOW.
They can try their bully-boy tactics all they like but if we stick together across this job and all the other projects, we can get this con-trick overturned.
CONTRACT UPDATE MEETING
7pm Wed 27th October at the cock tavern, phoenix rd [off eversholt street ]Euston nw1
Don’t fall for the Laing O’Rourkes “contrick”
The tax-man is the driving force behind the new contract. We’re all going to end up on the cards whether we like it or not. The question is whether we go on PAYE with a cut in money or with the same take home pay as now. The new contract cuts our basic pay and introduces a complicated bonus system that can be withheld at management discretion. No one denies this – not even the company.
The company is trying every trick to con us into accepting the new “contrick”. We are being called into small meetings where UCATT union officials and company managers telling us to sign up to the deal or else we will be down the road. UCATT should be ashamed of themselves – they have become part of the Laing O’Rourkes machinery – industrial relations policemen against the workforce.
Against all the national agreements in the construction industry, Laing O’Rourkes are trying to ban GMB union officials from the CTRL site. What are they scared of? A workplace meeting that might elect reps & upset the applecart?
The contract has been agreed between UCATT and Laing O’Rourkes as some kind of national sweetheart deal. The shuttering chippies, concrete finishers, groundworkers, plant operators and labourers who do the actual work on Laing O’Rourkes jobs have not been part of the negotiations. But it is us who will suffer because of it. We have not given our consent to the deal. We demand no cut in pay. We all have bills, rent, mortgages to pay – we need guaranteed money not a promise of it if the site agent thinks we deserve it.
There should be a national ballot of all Laing O’Rourkes workers to accept or reject the deal
If there is going to be a new contract, then we demand:
• NO CUT IN TAKE HOME PAY
• NO COMPLICATED DISCRETIONARY BONUS SCHEME
• FULL HOLIDAY PAY (BASED ON AVERAGE TAKE HOME)
• FULL SICK PAY
• PENSION SCHEME
• REDUNDANCY PAY
• EFFECTIVE START DATE FOR EVERYBODY SHOULD BE WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED WORKING FOR LAING O’ROURKES NOT WHEN WE SIGN THE CONTRACT
STICK TOGETHER
We have already had one walk-out and held meetings off site, we are all over the newspapers. Workers on Canary Wharf, Terminal 5 and Ascot are all up in arms. We are already in talks with them. This deal needs to be re-negotiated NOW.
They can try their bully-boy tactics all they like but if we stick together across this job and all the other projects, we can get this con-trick overturned.
CONTRACT UPDATE MEETING
7pm Wed 27th October at the cock tavern, phoenix rd [off eversholt street ]Euston nw1
Ewa J