MORE than 20 Merseyside pipefitters have accused their employers of racial discrimination after claiming they were made redundant and replaced by Polish workers.

Union representatives are now pursuing industrial action against Irish contractors Laurence Mechanical Services.

The men had been working on the Quinn Glass development in Ellesmere Port for several months when, on April 1, they were told there was no more work for them.

But just three days later, they claim the contractors took on and inducted around 20 new Polish staff.

The workers believe the firm took the decision to get rid of them after they demanded a contract of employment. They claim Polish workers were employed instead of the British ones because they were cheaper.

Pipefitter Glen Chesters, 43, from Liverpool, said:" We were all told on April 1 that the work was finished. Just a few weeks earlier managers had told us there was enough work for a year.

"Then, the next Tuesday, a new group of Polish workers arrived. We had been taken on without a contract of employment and initially got the union involved when we weren't given one.

"We were working on a pay as you earn basis. The Polish workers were paid £8 an hour whereas we were paid £12.

"We believe they were given the work that 23 of us would have been finishing."

Joe Rusk, 59, who has been a site foreman and worked in the business for more than 40 years, said: "I have never experienced anything like this. We were being told there was nothing more for us and the next thing we know more workers are being taken on. Everybody feels they have been treated very badly."

Union representatives say they are meeting with the contractors at Liverpool employment tribunal on November 1.

Amicus representative John Fallows said: "We believe these workers have had their legal rights infringed in various ways. "Firstly, they should have been given a contract of employment outlining their terms and conditions. They never received this.

"They were told there was no work and then they find out Polish workers were taken on. The work was still there.

" We will be meeting with management of the contractors in Liverpool next month and believe we have a case for an employment tribunal."

Irish-based Quinn Glass said they could not comment on the issue.

A spokesman for contractors Laurence Mechanical Services who are based in Cavan, said: "We will not be making any comment at all about this."