Strikes 'have exposed exploitation'

Feb 3 2009

Fresh wildcat strikes have taken place in the row over foreign workers as Labour MPs lined up to congratulate unions for exposing the "exploitation" of British employees.

Crucial talks aimed at resolving the dispute continued, but they failed to halt a series of walkouts at power stations and other sites across the UK.

Hundreds of strikers held another protest at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire, where the dispute flared after a contract was awarded to an Italian firm which hired its own workforce from Italy and Portugal.

Unofficial strike action at the plant has sparked sympathy protests, with around 500 workers at Shell's Stanlow Oil Refinery in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, and 250 at Hartlepool engineering company Heerema joining the national protest on Tuesday.

John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw, tabled a Commons early day motion "deploring" the use of foreign workers at the Lindsey refinery and congratulating unions for "exposing this exploitation and the absence of equal opportunities to apply for all jobs".

He said imminent large capital projects, including new power stations, should be built by "companies employing primarily British labour on decent pay and conditions".

Derek Simpson, joint leader of the Unite union, said the strikes were not about "race or immigration".

He told ultra right-wing groups that their "politics of hate" were not welcome on construction sites across the UK.

Talks led by the concilliation service Acas were adjourned without resolution as unions continued to maintain that UK workers were denied the chance to work on the contract.