Carron Energy Newport - Jobs Protest

Unite is set to meet a Newport power plant contractor to demand they honour a commitment to employ local workers.

Les Bayliss, Unite's assistant general secretary said the union will meet Siemens representatives this week

The meeting follows today’s demonstration at Uskmouth, where around 150 people gathered to protest against a perceived lack of Welsh workers involved in the construction of the new power station.

The men were from all over South Wales and waved placards as foreign contractors arrived from 6am on Monday.

When work on the £400 million gas-fired Severn power station started in August 2007, owner Carron Energy said it would create 500 construction jobs. Development director Peter Trussler said then that Carron would use contractors from Wales and keep the project as local as possible.

But work is now in the hands of Danish firm Dong Energy, with German-owned Siemens the contractor.

Les Bayliss said: “Unite is not and never has been opposed to the use of non-UK labour. We are opposed to workers being excluded from applying for work and agreements being broken."


Demonstrator Bob Young, 63, of the Gaer, said: “The site owners said there aren’t enough skilled workers in this area. Well, there were a hundred outside the gates today.”

Walter Pearce, 55, of Duffryn, said: “We need to keep jobs local. I don’t understand why foreign workers are being accommodated when so many people here are out of work?”