Around 100 workers are staging a pay protest outside Deeside construction site this morning
Around 100 construction workers are taking part in the latest protest at the Parc Adfer energy from waste construction site.
Members of Unite and JMB unions working on the £800m construction project began the protest at 5.30am.
North Wales Police closed Weighbridge Road on Zone 4 for a short period of time to a protest march to take place.
The protest is over what Unite claim is the “continuing exploitation of the site’s workforce, which is creating a ‘race to the bottom’ on pay and conditions.”
Today’s action is the fourth protest since October last year and North Wales Police Commissioner Arfon Jones has called for the cost of policing the demonstrations to be charged back to CNIM, the French firm tasked with building the energy from waste, Flintshire County Council and the Welsh Government.
Time for @NWPolice to re-charge CNIM @FlintshireCC @WelshGovernment for policing costs and amend the contract https://t.co/DCcjW1AkAW
— Arfon Jones (@ArfonJ) May 30, 2018
Unite claim workers on the construction on the site are being paid as little as £8.75 an hour “which means that workers are potentially receiving 63 per cent below the agreed standard construction rate of £17.39 for this type of mechanical engineering construction work.” Unite says.
CNIM has been appointed by American firm Wheelabrator to deliver the Park Adfer project on behalf of their client, North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Partnership which is led by Flintshire county council and includes Conwy borough council, Denbighshire county council, Gwynedd county council and Isle of Anglesey county council.
The French firm has vehemently denied claims of worker exploitation and safety issues by Unite but the union has continued to apply pressure on those local authorities involved in the project and local politicians to demand companies pay correct rates and abide by the correct construction agreement.
Unite regional officer Steve Benson said: “It is appalling that workers are being exploited through low pay on a project ultimately funded by the taxpayer.
“Unite has been working to resolve the exploitation on the site but we have been met with warm words but no action.
Workers are receiving a pittance compared to what they should be receiving for the work they are undertaking.
By failing to comply with the correct industrial agreements the companies are undermining pay rates across the entire industry and creating a race to the bottom.
The local authorities need to stop pretending to look the other way and to take responsibility for the exploitation and misery that is being created on their watch.”
CNIM has hit back at Unite’s claims, a spokesperson for the company said:
“CNIM has followed good practice in the UK for more than 20 years and with regards to the Parc Adfer project, we have been clear that it complies fully with UK law and observes all relevant UK legislation.
We are disappointed that Unite continues to make these erroneous allegations about the company.
CNIM has maintained an ongoing dialogue with the trade unions during the course of the construction of the Parc Adfer energy-from-waste facility.
The company has met Unite on a number of occasions including two site visits, with a further visit scheduled for next month. Unite attended the first jobs fair last year and was invited to the second one earlier this week, but did not attend.
CNIM has agreed and actioned a number of requests from the trade unions.
In line with CNIM’s Good Practice Guide, the procurement of all contracts on the Parc Adfer project meets or exceeds the Welsh Government’s Code of Conduct.
The voluntary living wage is the minimum rate of pay. There is a request by the unions that we adopt a voluntary collective agreement that is currently only being used on four other construction projects in the UK.
This agreement would require significant additional pay and conditions. Given it is a voluntary agreement and was not specified when the companies were tendering, to retrospectively apply it would require funds that the local authorities, who are duty bound to make the best use of public funds, do not have.
CNIM does not compromise health and safety on its sites and we dispute that health and safety, welfare provision and training is being undermined at Parc Adfer.
We have had inspections by the local authority and HSE, which were exemplary. At the unions’ request, we invited HSE to inspect the site again last week. The inspectors were impressed with the site with no observations or advice.”
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