TEESSIDE SCAFFOLDER
Well-known member
Support for 'locked out' BP workers
Monday 28 March 2011by Adrian Roberts Printable Email Over 1,000 people staged a demonstration today in support of workers who have been "locked out" of a huge building project in Hull.
Around 400 Redhall Engineering Solutions workers lost their jobs at Saltend Chemicals near Hull earlier this month after their contracts were terminated when the biofuels project fell behind schedule.
The GMB union said that Vivergo Fuels, which owns the site, should continue to employ the workers to complete the job which when completed will turn wheat and sugar beet into fuel.
Angry protesters held a demonstration outside the site this morning followed by a march through Hull which was joined by building workers from across Britain.
There was a heavy police presence as the protesters were joined by union colleagues from North Lincolnshire refineries Lindsay and ConocoPhillips, Pembroke power station in Wales and Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire.
GMB union Northern area regional officer Les Dobbs said: "People on the march are demanding that owners BP reopen the site as a matter of urgency and allow the locked-out employees get back to work.
"Construction sites sent delegations to the demo and also council workers took part as well."
GMB protest organiser Keith Gibson added: "We had a mass meeting this morning at Saltend and marched to the BP site.
"There has been a great turnout and we are here to step up the action and hit management where we can.
"Vivergo finished because of financial reasons. At the same time the job is running a year behind schedule and the workforce building it for them have been blocked off the job.
"The job's going nowhere. There is four to six months work outstanding and we want to go back and finish that job."
newsed@peoples-press.com
Monday 28 March 2011by Adrian Roberts Printable Email Over 1,000 people staged a demonstration today in support of workers who have been "locked out" of a huge building project in Hull.
Around 400 Redhall Engineering Solutions workers lost their jobs at Saltend Chemicals near Hull earlier this month after their contracts were terminated when the biofuels project fell behind schedule.
The GMB union said that Vivergo Fuels, which owns the site, should continue to employ the workers to complete the job which when completed will turn wheat and sugar beet into fuel.
Angry protesters held a demonstration outside the site this morning followed by a march through Hull which was joined by building workers from across Britain.
There was a heavy police presence as the protesters were joined by union colleagues from North Lincolnshire refineries Lindsay and ConocoPhillips, Pembroke power station in Wales and Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire.
GMB union Northern area regional officer Les Dobbs said: "People on the march are demanding that owners BP reopen the site as a matter of urgency and allow the locked-out employees get back to work.
"Construction sites sent delegations to the demo and also council workers took part as well."
GMB protest organiser Keith Gibson added: "We had a mass meeting this morning at Saltend and marched to the BP site.
"There has been a great turnout and we are here to step up the action and hit management where we can.
"Vivergo finished because of financial reasons. At the same time the job is running a year behind schedule and the workforce building it for them have been blocked off the job.
"The job's going nowhere. There is four to six months work outstanding and we want to go back and finish that job."
newsed@peoples-press.com