Laing O’Rourke
Construction: Struggle at Laing O’Rourke, Britain, 2004
The following article provides a short summary about a strike of building workers in London in Autumn 2004. Apart from the more or less self-organised character of the struggle, with workers assemblies in parks and blockage of the site entrances, we think that there were two main interesting aspects of the dispute.
1) The fact that eastern European workers got involved. So far capital has more or less managed to use the eastern European countries as a large pool of labour force which could be mobilised for short term projects like large construction projects or the seasonal work in the harvest.
Heathrow: Three day strike at Terminal 5
Construction workers for Laing O'Rourke at the Heathrow Terminal 5 site are likely to begin a three day strike from Tuesday morning at 6.45 until the same time Friday morning over their ongoing pay dispute.
Workers have rejected Laing's offer of 67p/hour bonuses, demanding the £1 awarded to other workers on the site some time ago.
An overtime ban has been in force since 28th January. This is the most recent of a series of strikes at Terminal 5, and will be a joint action by members of the GMB, TGWU and UCATT unions.
BACKGROUND
* Heathrow building workers set to strike again
Heathrow building workers set to strike again
A second strike by workers building Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport looks set to go ahead.
On Tuesday, employers Laing O'Rourke offered scaffolders and labourers an extra 67p an hour in bonus pay - short of union members' call for £1 an hour.
But GMB and Transport and General Workers' Union said until members are balloted, the strike will take place.
Hundreds are expected to walk out on Friday and Monday for the second time.
The GMB stated:
Strike action hits new Heathrow terminal 5 site
Nearly 1,000 workers building a £4. 2bn terminal at Heathrow airport went on a 24-hour strike today (16 Dec ).
Picket lines were set up at Terminal 5 (T5) from before dawn as workers from three unions took action over bonus payments.
“More than 900 people have stopped work today,” said Steve Kelly, construction branch secretary of the GMB union, who was on a picket line.
Strike action hits new Heathrow terminal 5 site
Nearly 1,000 workers building a £4. 2bn terminal at Heathrow airport went on a 24-hour strike today.
Nearly 1,000 workers building a £4. 2bn terminal at Heathrow airport went on a 24-hour strike today (16 Dec ). Picket lines were set up at Terminal 5 (T5) from before dawn as workers from three unions took action over bonus payments.
“More than 900 people have stopped work today,” said Steve Kelly, construction branch secretary of the GMB union, who was on a picket line.
Laing workers to strike at Terminal 5
Hundreds of workers employed by Laing O'Rourke at Terminal 5 will stage a two-week overtime ban and strike several times in December and January.
The first strike days have been confirmed as starting at 6.45am on Friday 16th and ending 6.45am on Tuesday 20th December, an overtime ban will start at the same time, and further strikes are planned between the 20th and 23rd of January. The dispute is primarily over a £1/hour increase on bonuses which other contractors on site have agreed to.
Wildcat action brewing over the Laing O'Rourke 'contrick'
Workers employed by construction giant Laing O'Rourke are refusing the company's new pay and conditions deal.
Under the new contract or 'contrick' as it has been renamed by workers, pay will be halved, bonuses will be decided by management, a day off must be planned 40 days in advance and holiday pay could be cut by £20 per day for each worker. Management has told workers they will be sacked if they do not sign.
