Summer of strikes threatens Olympics and Crossrail

Work on hundreds of sites across the country, thought to include the Olympics and Crossrail, could be brought to a halt by strike action proposed for later in the summer.

More than 140 GMB and Unite shop stewards voted unanimously on Friday to take industrial action after pay negotiations broke down with the Engineering Construction Industry Association (ECIA) the previous Wednesday.

The unions said the employers’ body had refused demands such as a register for the unemployed and the right of migrant workers to 12 paid long weekends a year. In addition, the ECIA had refused to increase pay or give guarantees on the use of local labour.

Bob Blackman, the national secretary of Unite, said the union had already begun proceedings, including the preparation of ballot papers.

He said: “The ECIA has treated the trade unions and their members with contempt.”

The strikes would affect sites where workers are employed under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry – typically, large-scale infrastructure projects.

A Unite source said these included workers on the Olympics and Crossrail, as well as power stations such as Staythorpe and the Lindsey oil refinery. The Olympic Delivery Authority denied it would be affected.

Phil Davis, the GMB’s national officer, said strikes could begin by late summer. It is yet to be decided what form they would take, but Davis said a mass walk-out was an option.

Mike Hockey, managing director of the ECIA, said the call for a national ballot was “premature”. He said: “We do not consider that discussions have been exhausted and have offered the unions a further meeting in July.”