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UCATT Development Officer (Yorkshire)

There is a vacancy for an official within the Yorkshire Region of the union and we are seeking applications for the post of Development Officer.

The suitable candidate must be able to recruit new members and develop the organisation of the union in strategic areas. The candidate must possess an understanding of the key issues facing the union, its members and the construction industry.

The post is initially offered on a twelve-month contract, subject to periodic performance review, and there may be future employment prospects for the right candidate.

The starting salary will depend on experience but the band for a Development Officer is from £23,637 with incremental scales rising to £28,618 per annum (currently under review) and the use of a union vehicle.

To apply for the position please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to request an application form.

Deadline for applications is Friday 26^th March 2010.

UCATT Wins £1.5 Million For Former Hull Caravan Workers

Construction union UCATT have won a major employment tribunal case worth £1.5 million on behalf of former employees at Hull based caravan company Atlas Holiday Homes. The case involved 333 former employees of the company, who lost their jobs when the company went into administration.

The workers were forced to seek compensation via an employment tribunal becuase when they were made redundant in December 2008, they were not given a 90 day redundancy consultation period, required by law. On Friday January 29 the Employment Tribunal ruled in favour of the former workers.

Dave Oglesby the UCATT official for Hull, said: “It’s been a great victory for us in terms of getting justice for our members and demonstrates the benefit of being a trade union member.”

The workers involved are entitled to a total of nearly £4,550 each. However as the company is in administration the workers will initially be able to claim a maximum of eight week’s compensation worth £2,800 from a Government funded scheme.

UCATT represents 125,000 members employed in the construction industry throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

UCATT Calls for Urgent Inquiry Following Death of Worker in Hull

Construction union UCATT are calling for an urgent inquiry following the death of a worker in Hull on Tuesday (December 8). Raymond Jessop 53, died after falling from a ladder while engaged in painting a council property in Cranswick Grove, Hull. Mr Jessop was employed, by Kier Building Maintenance which is responsible for the repair and maintenance of 10,000 council properties in the city.

Inquiries by UCATT have discovered that Mr Jessop was working on a major project repainting 170 properties. A UCATT official has visited the site and noted there was sufficient room for scaffolding to be erected or a mobile platform to have been used, rather than having to rely on a possibly unstable ladder.

The use of ladders for this project is at odds with the advice on ladder use provided by the Health and Safety Executive, which states that ladders should only be used “for low risk, short duration work”.

UCATT officials have also obtained health and safety steering group minutes where a health and safety representative from Kier, originally recommended that the painting was performed using scaffolding but it was eventually decided to use ladders because the workers were not trained in using tower scaffolding units and “cost was an issue”.

Derek Johnson Regional Secretary for UCATT Yorkshire, said: “All the evidence indicates that a decision to use ladders was taken on grounds of cost. This decision has had fatal consequences and a worker has died. It is essential that such a tragedy is never allowed to happen again, Kier’s, Hull City council and all contractors must change their policies to ensure that ladders, are not relied on when undertaking such large scale painting projects.”

UCATT also intend to raise concerns that workers were being pressurised to finish the project in the belief that delays would lead to a loss of pay.

The HSE estimate that on average 12 workers are killed every year after falling from ladders. Last year (2008/9) 53 construction workers were killed and falls were the most common type of fatality, causing 21 deaths.

UCATT Warns that a Slight Decrease in Construction Deaths in Yorkshire Must Not Lead to Complacency on Safety

Construction union UCATT have warned that a slight reduction in construction deaths in Yorkshire must not lead to a complacent attitude developing regarding safety.

Research undertaken by UCATT has discovered that there were six construction workers killed in Yorkshire in 2008/9, one fewer than were killed in 2007/8.

The number of construction deaths in the United Kingdom fell from 72 in 2007/8 to 53 in 2008/9, a decrease of 26 per cent. The decline was principally due to the recession, which has led to a steep drop in construction output and resulted in a large number of construction workers being laid off.

Construction remains the most dangerous industry in Britain. The industry is highly casualised. Many workers do not have contracts of employment, regularly move between employers and/or are bogusly self-employed. In recent years there has been a substantial increase in the number of workers being supplied to construction companies through employment agencies and gangmasters.

Derek Johnson, Regional Secretary for Yorkshire, said: “The reduction in construction deaths in the region should be welcomed. However, six deaths remains six too many. It is essential that everyone involved in the construction industry does not allow themselves to become complacent when it comes to safety.”

Further analysis of the national data on fatalities shows that the most likely cause of death remains falls. In 2008/9 there were 21 deaths caused by falls, 40% of all deaths. The second highest number of deaths were caused by people being hit by a moving or falling object, this accounted for 5 deaths, 9% of the overall total.