Birmingham Council Slammed for Cynical Treatment of Workers

Birmingham council have been slammed by Construction union UCATT, for the increasingly head handed manner in which they are threatening workers livelihoods.

Earlier this month the council, the largest in Britain issued 61,594 redundancy to all council staff in an attempt to force all its employees to sign new contracts. The terms and conditions of many of the affected workers will be massively reduced.

Steve Murphy, UCATT’s Midlands’s regional secretary, who represents hundreds of the affected workers, said: “Birmingham council is acting like the worst kind of back street employer. Workers who have given years of their lives in public service now fear for their futures.

“It is quite clear to me that the council is hell bent on introducing inferior terms and conditions in the first step to privatising whole swathes of the workforce.”

The council’s leadership refused to consult with unions including UCATT prior to issuing the redundancy notices. Instead it claimed to have directly informed the workforce of its intentions. It has now merged that this consultation was through a questionnaire issued to staff by opinion poll giant MORI.

Mr Murphy, added: “To refuse to consult with properly recognised unions is bad enough. But to then spend council tax payers money on a sham consultation exercise is truly appalling.”

UCATT have already undertaken a consultative ballot of their Birmingham council workforce. Their members are overwhelmingly in favour of undertaking industrial action in opposition to the council’s attempts to blackmail them into signing the new contracts.

Union Wins Huge Payout on Behalf of Killed Workers

Construction union UCATT have won substantial payouts on behalf of the families of two workers killed at work.

In May 2002 the two men Paul Wakefield and Craig Whelan, both from Nottingham, were working as steeplejacks. They were working at the Metal Box plant in Bolton, repairing the company’s chimney. The plant was still in operation and while in the chimney an explosion occurred and both men were killed.

Despite having initially attempted to avoid responsibility for the tragedy, some of the directors of Metal Box were convicted of health and safety offences.

The case was taken up by UCATT who instructed their solicitors OH Parsons to achieve the best possible financial compensation for the victim’s families. Both families were awarded in excess of £300,000.

Alan Ritchie, general secretary of UCATT, said: “Nothing can ever recompense a family for the loss of a loved one, killed at work. Hopefully the compensation awarded to these two families will ensure that they do not suffer continued financial misery.”

Steve Cottingham of OH Parsons, who acted for the victim’s families said: “Companies must stop paying lip service to health and safety. Far too many building workers are killed at work every year. Companies must be forced to realise that workers are not expendable, in the quest for greater profits.”