walkout on lucite billingham

i worked on this site 15 years ago, travelling 40 minutes from newcastle. when i came out my induction me and my mate were told to go home because the scaffolders had went on strike because 2 geordies had started. i didnt go back and spent the next 6 weeks unemployed
 
daftscaff said:
some of the comments regarding working men on strike are way off the mark and in my opinion a fecking disgrace.
rightly or wrongly the right to withdraw labour is all the ordinary worker has.
if and i do hope the lads win their case will the comedians be as quick to applaud these men i dont think so.
UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL
OR IS IT IM ALRIGHT JAK:eek:
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daft scaff please direct me to my disgraceful comments on men being on strike?
I was trying to put my opinion across and i got threatened and slagged off(fukcing lightwieght)


what i was trying to say is that you should sort your money out and your "contract" if your clever enough to ask for one before you turn a spanner, not 4 weeks down the line with the chance of another 4 week or more on the shutdown. then you sit in the tea shack with some billy big shot who hasnt got a clue what he is on about but needs the friday off to sign on. then decides to cause a bit of bother and all his little clingons agree and come on the forum asking for support with no FACTS about what is going on.


if you look at the newspaper article above you will find i was correct in my statements.


ask any scaff that knows me i will stand up for my rights and will argue the case with anyone BUT i will make sure its a case i can win and i will NOT loose 14 (probably hard working men their jobs) for a day on the p1ss.

ps i will never cross a picket line whether i believe it to be wrong or right, i was putting MY opinion of the situation with the information that was posted,
and yes i'm alright JAK:eek:and always have been, i bid you a good day
 
TEESSIDE SCAFFOLDER said:
Scaffolders in Billingham sacked over pay rates call

Oct 2 2011 by Stephen Cape, Sunday Sun

INDUSTRIAL action has hit a construction site after workers were laid off following a pay review request, it has been claimed.

In total 14 scaffolders lost their jobs at the end of last week.

A picket line was set up immediately outside the site in Billingham, Teesside, and other trades such as fitters and electricians walked out in sympathy, calling for the men to be reinstated.

Although the walk-out was illegal under employment law, workers claimed the picket line swelled to more than a 100 outside the old Cassel Works site. Management insisted the numbers were nearer to 60 people.

Union officials from Unite and the GMB held talks with the company in a bid to get them back to work. However, no deal could be brokered, according to one official at the negotiations.

The first one to lose his job was scaffolder Tony Seaman, an activist for the UNITE union.

He told the Sunday Sun that he had taken a letter of grievance to the management last Wednesday wanting to talk about increasing pay.

The worker claimed he was asked to leave the site, along with another 13 scaffolders.

He added: “I think it is wrong and we are very angry about this.

“All we wanted was a review into our pay. We are on £10.46 a hour and under the blue book agreement we wanted £14. What is wrong with that?” The chemical site was formerly owned by ICI but is now in the hands of Lucite International. The work involves a range of key jobs including changing old pipework.

A skeleton picket line will remain on all weekend and Mr Seaman claimed that 90% of the workforce now supported their bid for reinstatement. The full picket line will return tomorrow.

It’s understood that union officials and the company agreed on Friday to take the matter to the conciliation service ACAS, but a condition was that the picket line should be removed.

However workers refused to call off the action until they were given their jobs back and on Friday the matter was deadlocked.

Regional UNITE official Bill Green said: “The unions have told the men that they are on their own because the walk-out is illegal. The company claimed they never received a grievance letter. This is an unfortunate and regrettable matter that needs to be sorted out.”

The Middlesbrough-based company at the centre of the dispute said it had ended the temporary contracts of the 14 men.

HR and Communications Director at Hertel UK David Massey said: “Due to changes in the scope of the work we are carrying out at Lucite, the company was in a position where it needed to end a number of temporary contracts.

“This has involved 14 men, all of whom were employed as temporary scaffolders and labourers. The process was managed in accordance with standard procedures with appropriate notice issued to each of the affected employees.”

Talks are expected to take place soon.
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Tony Seamen, now there's a blast from the past, last worked with Tony in 2003 on conoco, a decent bloke hope you all stick together and get reinstated, Hertel are the scum of the earth the poacher and 8 colleages beat the ******** at tribunal payed us off using the matrix rather than LIFO it took 12 month but £19 grand was better in my pocket..........................

Hertel are ******* run by ******* Tom Conroy is a first class pric*:mad:
 
I know someone who works on site and what he reckons is that theres some bending of the facts going on here. I wouldn't cross a picket line either but I'd make sure I knew what I was fighting for before I took food out my kids mouths.
He said the lads were finished cos the scaffold was nearly up and site had pulled some work. 5 gangs had to go so they were paid off with a weeks lue. I don't know about filo or matrix or out as he never said.
The job was Gray book not blue and the other mecky lads are on a Cordell rate. With the scaffs £2.50 bonus and the right ot rates there's not much in it. No one is on blue book even the lads on a small project apparently.
The lucite were adding £2.20 on top for the shutdown he said too. Addin it up seems the fight about rates was a non win from the start.
The management have said they will talk to the lads about the rates but the 14 had to go as they weren't needed. The union arnt backing it as the lads won't talk to the management.
I've come cross that prick Conroy before too.

---------- Post added at 05:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:00 PM ----------

:) oh the forum is great by the way - sorry :)

Hope everyone gets things sorted out. Too close to Santa to be out of work.
 
jakdan apologies if you think that was directed at you,but there are some **** comments being directed at the boro lads.
yes there are some who abuse the right to strike and as i have already stated in earlier posts i dont think they will win the case as like yoursel and others have pointed out they knew the rate when they started.
IF I WAS TRYING TO DIRECT IT AT YERSELF I WOULD HAVE SAID YOUR FULL NAME BUT I MISS TYPED AND FORGOT THE C.
NO OFFENCE MEANT NONE TAKEN I HOPE.
there was a post stating that yous(boro)will probably shutdown british steel with your antics,but has the author deleted this because i cant find it anymore.
UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL
 
euroscaff said:
i worked on this site 15 years ago, travelling 40 minutes from newcastle. when i came out my induction me and my mate were told to go home because the scaffolders had went on strike because 2 geordies had started. i didnt go back and spent the next 6 weeks unemployed
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That aint sticking together is it Boro boys?

---------- Post added at 08:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------

It seems to me after reading all the posts on here that the scaffs don't have a leg to stand on.
Why the f.uck take a job on you don't want, at a rate you don't want?
 
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something that happened 15yrs ago has no bearing on current problems . the problem with this forum is to many people just want to slag others off. scaffolders should unite .
there is too much bitching. if you cant be constructive f..k off
to many people seem to enjoy putting others down..
 
agadootoo said:
something that happened 15yrs ago has no bearing on current problems . the problem with this forum is to many people just want to slag others off. scaffolders should unite .
there is too much bitching. if you cant be constructive f..k off
to many people seem to enjoy putting others down..
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Euroscaff has mentioned the fact that they were finished because they were from Newcastle and the locals were going to go on strike.

You dismiss that because it happened a long time ago, as not having any bearing on current problems. But you come on here expecting everyone to back your cause and fight in your corner. Did you or any of your mates support euroscaff all those years ago???? I'm thinking not.
Just because someone says something you don't agree with or want to hear, its not constructive.
You'll make a lot of friends with that sort of attitude.....not
 
Well I think you are flogging a dead horse mate. And I don't think Unite is going to do much to help you either as they have a s.hit record for looking after scaffolder's interests (Tom Hardacre and the ECITB for example)
If I were you I'd ask what you are getting before you start your next job, instead of bleating about it afterwards when you unsuccessfully try to change things that probably won't get changed.
Oh and before you start talking any more s.hit I wouldn't cross a picket line either I'd f'uck off elswhere as maybe you should.

---------- Post added at 09:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:20 PM ----------

This isn't British Jobs For British Workers it's you didn't check what you were getting.
 
cheers for that info swifty. think this thread/post has run its course. at least it has provoked a reaction and provided some entertainment.
whatever was i thinking .... scaffolders helping each other i must have had too many sodapops .
 
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agadootoo said:
cheers for that info swifty. think this thread/post has run its course. at least it has provoked a reaction and provided some entertainment.
whatever was i thinking .... scaffolders helping each other i must have had too many sodapops .
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Why think scaffs stick together we don't too many house bashers only looking after number 1 an prize pricks winding up honest lads gone ate the daysof one for all an all for one these days as stated earlierall of one only I'm alright jak bunch of pricks as a whole we are weak about time we stood together or am I wrong your with us or against us there is no common ground you decide
 
keep me posted as to tomorrow lads even if its by pm.
UNITE cant take anything to do with it as its a wildcat.the unions hands are tied due to trade union laws brought in by maggie that make it almost impossible to go through the proper channels on a short term job as the cants over before the ballot sheets are out.
i personally hope the ladsget re-instated best wishes
 
jim said:
Why think scaffs stick together we don't too many house bashers only looking after number 1 an prize pricks winding up honest lads gone ate the daysof one for all an all for one these days as stated earlierall of one only I'm alright jak bunch of pricks as a whole we are weak about time we stood together or am I wrong your with us or against us there is no common ground you decide
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110% agree.
We should all look after each other.

But in reality, theres just too many who only care about number 1... Too many who wanna get their foot in the door, by ANY means necessary and if that means grassing/shiit stirring, then so be it.

Theres alot of Scaffolders out there who have no scruples and will do what it takes to make their life easier, even if that means kicking their workmates in the teeth.

Ive always said: 'Scaffolding is easy, its the men you work with that make it hard'.

Until we all stand together, we'll never get the respect, help, pay and rights we deserve.
Its a shame really, because we as a trade do so much for the Construction Industry and ARE so important for this countries building trade and we really dont get the recognition that we should be getting.


Another problem, is that if you work for say: £20 an hour, they'll always be someone willing to work for £15 an hour.
If you work for £15, someone out there will be prepared to graft for £10 an hour and so on.

Maybe a national MINIMUM wage for Scaffolders should be brought in?
As a senior tradesmen and 'Critical Worker' in this Industry, we should not be allowed to work for another thing less then x-amount a hour/day (say £18 an hour/£145 a day). This would give us all a decent enough wage to justify breaking our backs and risking our lives each day and stop the greedy Scaffs undercutting us, as they usually do.
 
I said I'd joined up the forum to my mukka and he said he's just had these land on his mat this afty from the Union and Hertel

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And this
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