黑洞社区

Union Unite has refused to rule out strike action over a dispute concerning the pay and conditions for electricians.

A senior Unite source told 黑洞社区 a four-hour meeting of over 40 union shop stewards earlier today resolved to continue to fight electrical contractors鈥� proposals for a 5% two-year pay rise for thousands of electricians and labourers.

Unite balloted more than 7,000 electricians and labourers last week and 91% rejected the pay package of 2% from January 2015 and 3% from January 2016.

Unite successfully derailed the notorious BESNA pay and conditions proposals for electricians in 2012, after five consecutive months of protests, including a 1,000-strong London rally.

When asked whether Unite shop stewards had agreed plans for industrial action as part of its opposition to the latest pay deal, the source said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e not ruling anything out and we鈥檙e not ruling anything in [鈥�] We have a plan, we have a strategy, exactly as we did with BESNA.鈥�

The source said the union is now seeking a meeting with electrical contractors 鈥渨ith a view to continuing the negotiations to get a sizeable offer for workers鈥�, although the source did not put a figure on the union鈥檚 demands.

The source said a 鈥渞ed line鈥� would be Unite鈥檚 demands that the firms scrap the planned introduction of an 鈥渆ntrant grade鈥�, with an 18-month probationary period at a pay rate 25% less than the labourers鈥� grade, which the union has described as a 鈥渟lippery slope to a deskilled workforce鈥�.

A meeting could take place as early as tomorrow.