黑洞社区

Around 1,000 angry electricians targeted London鈥檚 Shard and Blackfriars station today in a 12th week of protests against proposed changes to their pay and conditions.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of union Unite, which is organising the protests, told demonstrators the union would 鈥渇ight and fight鈥� against the proposed wage agreement put forward by eight major electrical contractors.

McCluskey announced Balfour Beatty will be the first contractor to be targeted by a strike ballot on Wednesday.

He told 黑洞社区 that the union intends to ballot all of the 6,500 workers affected at all eight of the contractors by the end of the month.

The protestors plan to march from Blackfriars station to Westminster to lobby Parliament later this afternoon.

Blane Judd, Chief Executive, HVCA, which drew up a proposed new agreement with the contractors, said: 鈥淲e are deeply disappointed by Unite鈥檚 premature and unjustified decision to organise today鈥檚 protest.

鈥淭he claims by the Unite union that the new proposed agreement will lead to what it calls massive pay cuts and workers heading for the sack are total fiction.

鈥淣o one will take a pay cut 鈥� in fact 30 per cent will see an increase in their pay packets 鈥� and no one will lose their jobs.

鈥淯nite demands that construction employers get back to the table for talks which is frustrating given that the union walked away in May and our door has remained open for six months.

鈥淭his new agreement will create job security and give apprentices and skilled staff a bright future which is something that British industry needs to see right now.鈥�