Hundreds plan power station protest

From the Press Association

Hundreds plan power station protest

Hundreds of unemployed construction workers are to stage a demonstration amid claims they continue to be denied the chance to apply for jobs at a power station.
Unite's joint general secretary, Derek Simpson will lead a march to the Staythorpe power station near Newark in Nottinghamshire, while a protest will also be held on the Isle of Grain in Kent to highlight claims that over 1,000 jobs will go to overseas rather than UK workers.
Unions claim that sub contractors at the two sites planned to recruit entirely from overseas even though there were plenty of suitably skilled workers in this country.
The issue flared last month when a series of wildcat strikes broke out in support of workers at an oil refinery in North Lincolnshire who claimed they weren't being given an opportunity to apply for jobs.
Mr Simpson said: "The government must act now to level the playing field for UK workers. We need action which compels companies applying for contracts on public infrastructure projects to sign up to corporate social responsibility agreements which commit to fair access for UK labour.
"The UK needs to upgrade and build new power stations and there are huge opportunities to create thousands of well paid and highly skilled jobs. It will be a disgrace if UK workers are not even allowed to apply for jobs to build British power stations.
"There are still employers who are excluding UK workers from even applying for work on construction projects. No European worker should be barred from applying for a British job and absolutely no British worker should be barred from applying for a British job."
Unite is calling on the Government to insist that companies applying for contracts on public infrastructure projects sign up to corporate social responsibility agreements committing contractors to fair access for UK labour.
Contractors have insisted UK workers were not being overlooked for jobs at the two sites.