Pay protests to hit Dunbar plant

The ‘pay the rate’ protests organised by construction unions Unite, GMB and Ucatt, follow claims that non-UK workers installing the main boilers on three projects overseen by construction firms Interserve and Bacock & Wilcox will be paid little more than the minimum wage, as opposed to the agreed rate of £16.64 per hour (plus £2.37 per hour bonus) covered by national agreements.

The three unions are calling on the contractors to adhere to national minimum standards negotiated through the Construction Industry Joint Council (CIJC) and the National Agreement Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI).

The protest outside the Dunbar plant is set to begin at 6.30am.

Unite’s national officer for construction, Bernard McAulay said: “The contractors on this project are actively seeking to undermine the pay and conditions of skilled workers through their refusal to abide by industry wide agreements.

“Paying fellow European workers just above the minimum wage when the agreed rate is over double is completely unacceptable and smacks of exploitation and social dumping.

“Under national agreements for the industry there is one rate for the job, no matter where you are from.”