Whats This All About????

Just in case you have only just come across this page, cause, campaign or what ever you wish to call it. Here is a quick run through of what has happened over the last 2 months since this all started with links to all the pages explaining in more detail.
EVERYONE READING, regardless of whether you are a spark, fitter or a plumber. Join together with your fellow skilled trades, Join Unite
If I have missed anything please flag it up, Thanks



Friday 29th July
Balfour Beatty Engineering Services Limited, N G Bailey Building Services, Crown House Technologies, Gratte Brothers, MJN Colston Limited, Spie Matthew Hall, Shepherd Engineering Services (SES), T.Clarke PLC wrote out to their respective workforces, indicating their intentions of pulling out of the National Working Agreements. JIB, SJIB, JIB-PMES, SNIJIB, HVAC and MPA.

1st - 5th August
Unite Website - Members at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services and Crown House Technologies have been informed by management that Unite Full Time Officers will not be allowed access to site to discuss management proposals in their circular of last Friday. In the event our officers encounter difficulties from the Site Managers of these Majors, Unite Officers draw the workforce and employers attention to Section 7 sub section 3.9, 3.10 & 3.11 of the JIB agreement and Rule 24 of the HVAC agreement , ensuring the union is able to address the workforce on every project/site in the regions.

The eight companies all issue Q&A papers. Apparently answering all of the questions that the workforce had. It ended up containing a lot of waffle and an awful lot of telling you want you want to hear.

Unite Website - The Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry (JIB), have today, after consultation with the parties to the JIB national agreement, being the ECA (Electrical Contractors' Association) and Unite the Union, issued a statement on their website concerning the actions of the Major contractors. The JIB are now in the process of writing out to all individual JIB member company operatives and contractors regarding this. The statement can be viewed by following this link: www.jib.org.uk/agreement.htm
 
 5th August
Unites Campaign page goes live. Included on the page is a copy of the new proposed Agreement. The new agreement attacks breaks, overtime rates, travel, wages, strike clause, redundancy rules, guaranteed working week, the grading systems and the ability to claim unfair dismissal from day one.

13th August
Over 500 electrical and mechanical workers answered a call to arms and met at Conway Hall, London for a Rank and File meeting to discuss the situation and the action to take. At the meeting a motion was passed and a committee was elected to front the campaign. The committee is made up of two Electricians, two Fitters, one Civil Electrician and one Electrical Engineer. Two members of the committee took this motion on our behalf to the National Unite meeting in Leeds on the 17th August. .

15th August
Unite Website - A statement by the SJIB (Scottish Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry) can be viewed by following this link: http://www.sjib.org.uk/documents/New-National-Agreement-for-the-Building-Services-Sector-August-2011.pdf
  
17th August
Unite Website-  An extremely well attended meeting of the Unite Shop Stewards Forum representing Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical workers took place today (Wednesday 17th August 2011) in Leeds. Shop stewards from all corners of the UK attended the Forum in relation to the Employers' proposed Building Services Engineering National Agreement consisting of eight Major contractors who seek to impose this new agreement on their employees. The Stewards sent a clear message that our membership throughout the UK are not prepared to accept the termination of their existing national agreements and the imposition of new terms and conditions of employment. Together in solidarity and as a united team the Stewards and our membership are determined to defend their agreements, craft heritage and trades. Members and shop stewards will be meeting regionally. Contact your Construction Regional Officer to get involved and obtain campaign materials and assistance in site organisation. It is imperative that we work together. As a united team we will succeed.

18th August
Unite Website- The Plumbing JIB-PMES have written to all JIB-PMES Employers and Operatives, and have placed a notice on their website, stating that the JIB-PMES do not support the HVCA proposal for a new National Agreement. The JIB-PMES letter to Employees' can be downloaded here. Visit the JIB-PMES website at www.jib-pmes.org.uk for more information.

24th August
Approximately 250 workers turn up to protest at Blackfriars Station, Balfour Beatty.
Unite release statement "Unite Opposes Major Construction Firms Cynical Attack On Workers Terms And Conditions"

29th August
Word starts to circulate that companies will be bringing in the new agreement before Christmas rather than the before stated March date.

31st August                                                                                                                                                                                            Approximately 250 workers turn up to protest at Westfield Shopping Centre, London, T.Clarkes.

7th September
Approximately 200 workers turn up to protest at The Shard, London
Approximately 75 workers turn up to protest at the RVI Hospital, Newcastle, Crown House
Approximately 25 workers turn up to protest at the Town Hall, Manchester, NG Baileys

10th September
Meeting takes place in Glasgow at STUC - Scottish Trade Union Congress and decide to take action across Scotland

13th September
Unite release statement "Unite Warns Rogue Construction Firms To Pull Back From The Brink"
and also add a section to the Campaign Page describing "What The Majors Want"

14th September
Approximately 200 workers turn up to protest at The Olympic Site, London
Approximately 25 workers turn up to protest at The Paper Mill, Manchester, Balfour Beatty
Approximately 200 workers turn up to protest at Grangemouth Oil Refinery, Scotland, Balfour Beatty. Joined by workers walking off the site.

Unite Statement - IMPORTANT BULLETIN TO ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING & MECHANICAL MEMBERS: Workers in the eight breakaway companies have been given a stark choice, either agree to sign new contracts on much worse pay and terms and conditions or face the sack on December 7 and be re-engaged on the reduced terms and conditions. Unite's advice to you is: DON'T SIGN. If your employer pulls you in for a one to one don't be bullied and don't sign a new contract. It's vital that individuals don't sign up and that we fight this attack collectively

September 16th
Meeting takes place in  Newcastle for all North East M&E workers. They decide to take action and name the Tyne Tunnel as the first target.

September 17th
Meeting takes place at Grangemouth Unite Office, Scotland


September 19th
Meeting at Willys Bar, Cleethorpes. They decide to that Lindsey and Conoco Oil Refineries are to be their first targets

September 20th
Unite Offically back the protests and any future protests over the attack of the M&E industry

21st September
Approximately  350 workers turn up at Farringdon Station, London, Crown House. 300 of which invade the site and occupy it for 40 minutes.
Approximately 150 workers turn up to protest at The Tyne Tunnel, Newacstle, Spie Matthew Hall

25th September
MJN announce their intention to stay with the JIB and abandon the new agreement

28th September
'Carnage At Kings Cross' is what it has already been dubbed by some. There is a huge turn out expected for this. Mainly due to the events at Farringdon the week before. Lets make it a big one. Air horns, banners, placards the lot.
6:30am Kings Cross Station, platforms 10 and 11

Glasgow, 2014 Commonwealth Games Site, The Velodrome - 6:30am

Liverpool, Brownhill Road, Clarence Street, Spie Matthew Hall - 6:30am

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