This morning (Wednesday 11th January), electricians at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station joined a national day of action, the latest in a series of protests against a proposed working arrangement which they claim would see their wages cut by a third.

The Loughborough Echo estimated numbers at 25-30, but the Unite Union put the figure at closer to 50.

The protest caused major traffic disruption on the already congested A453, with the Socialist Worker reporting a ten mile tailback.

It appears that the impact on traffic was exacerbated by an accident on the A50, which the police did not immediately attend due to a cock-up over borders.

The national campaign

Elsewhere in the country there were more than 100 people protesting at Blackfriars in London, around 200 in Hartlepool and further protests in Cardiff and Manchester.

The demonstrations are part of a campaign which has been running since last year, protesting against the tearing up of the JIB agreement, which  governin terms of employment and rates of pay for electricians.

Electricians ("sparks") who oppose the new deal argue that it will result in a 30% pay cut and the de-skilling of their industry.

Disappointed by the response of their union, Unite, sparks have organised themselves and called a number of actions, including blockades.

Last year Unite balloted its members for strike action against Balfour Beatty, one of the members of the JIB.

Despite 81.6% voting in favour of action, Unite folded almost immediately when Balfour Beatty threatened legal action over a technicality.

Undaunted, sparks organised the largest national wildcat action in years. Electricians walked out in London, Merseyside, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, Hull and Lincolnshire.

Protests at Ratcliffe

Workers at Ratcliffe have previously protested against the changes to the JIB in October and November last year.

Despite traffic disruption, these actions, like the national campaign, have attracted minimal mainstream coverage, with only a brief mention on the BBC website.

Moving forward

The sparks campaign has been hugely inspiring, demonstrating that workers can organise outside the constraints of both the trade union bureaucracy and the anti-union laws.

This saturday, there is a national rank and file meeting in Birmingham, which will presumably work out the course of the campaign over the coming months.