3rd UPDATE: Contractor Strikes Resurge At UK Energy Sites
20 May 2009 - 3:10AM
Dow Jones News
U.K. contract workers held unofficial strikes Tuesday at energy
facilities to protest the use of foreign labor, echoing walkouts by
hundreds of workers in February.
The strikes were held in sympathy with contractors at the South
Hook liquefied natural gas terminal at Milford Haven in Wales
earlier Tuesday, the GMB union said in a statement. The contractors
objected to the hiring practices of industrial services company
Hertel UK for an insulation project, the GMB union said.
"There is widespread anger and outrage at repeated attempts in
different projects around the country to exclude local people from
job opportunities on these projects," GMB General Secretary Paul
Kenny said.
Hertel had sought - but was unable to secure - skilled laborers
for the start of the three-month project, the Netherlands-based
company said in an e-mailed statement.
"We have agreed with union officials that we will hire local
skilled personnel once they are identified...We understand people's
concerns and we have engaged in detailed discussions with trade
union national officials and local representatives," said David
Fitzsimons, managing director at Hertel.
Hertel said it complied with national labor agreements on terms
and conditions for workers.
"The subcontractor involved is taking steps to resolve matters
with its employees and it would be inappropriate for us to comment
further at this time," a spokesman for the South Hook terminal
said.
Unofficial strikes by contractors also occurred at the Dragon
LNG import terminal in Milford Haven, RWE AG's (RWE.XE) Aberthaw
Power Station in Wales and ConocoPhillips' (COP) 221,000 barrel a
day Humber refinery in northern England. In February, hundreds of
workers went on strike at U.K. refineries, power plants and other
energy facilities after Total SA (TOT) awarded a construction
subcontract at its 200,000 barrel a day Lindsey oil refinery in
northern England to an Italy-based company Irem SpA.
Sites hit by walkouts in February included ConocoPhillips'
Humber refinery, BP PLC's (BP) Kinneil gas processing facility, the
Sellafield nuclear site, Chevron Corp.'s (CVX) 222,0000 barrel a
day Pembroke refinery, the Dragon and South Hook liquefied natural
gas terminals, Scottish and Southern Energy PLC's (SSE.LN)
Fiddler's Ferry power station, Drax Group PLC's (DRX.LN) Yorkshire
power station, and ScottishPower's Cockenzie and Longannet power
plants. ScottishPower is the U.K. unit of Iberdrola SA
(IBE.MC).
-By Lananh Nguyen; Dow Jones Newswires; (4420) 7842 9405;
nicholas.heath@dowjones.com
(Angela Henshall, Nick Heath and Reza Amanat in London
contributed to this report.)