Electricians demand skilled jobs for skilled workers
“Skilled jobs for skilled workers” was the chant as over 300 construction electricians and supporters marched from the Unite offices in Glasgow to George Square on Saturday 19th November. This impressive and determined mobilisation followed a similar sized march and rally to the Scottish parliament the previous week, demanding an end to the attacks on the electricians national agreements.
The JIB/SJIB national agreements are under imminent threat from the big 7 construction contractors who want to cuts wages by up to 35%. Reducing the hourly wage of an electrician from £14.50 to just over £10 an hour.
Speaker after speaker at the rally pointed out the profits being made by the big companies, while workers are being made to pay the price in attacks on wages and through de-skilling. Davie Brockett from Unite summed up the mood when he said “we might be taking on the biggest companies in the country, but we’re one of the biggest trade unions and we’re getting in about them until the BESNA terms are torn-up and our fair national agreement is maintained.”
Ian Leech, brought solidarity greetings from the 11,500 members of Glasgow City Unison. “Three million of us will be striking on 30th November against attacks on pensions by the Con-Dem government. Our fight is the same as yours. We’re fighting to defend decent pay, pensions and working conditions from millionaires who think we should pay the price for an economic crisis created by the rich. They also want to divide public and private sector workers – and have us fighting each other. The message I want to bring is that will not happed. We’ll stand united, hit them where it hurts by striking together until we win.”
The ballot currently underway for strike action by BBES electricians is welcome. Organised strike action by electricians is urgently needed, including unofficial but coordinated walkouts to hit the companies hard.
The next action is taking place in Edinburgh on Wednesday 23rd November at 10am on George Street at a major Balfour Beatty construction site.
