Bust the bosses – not the unions

Protesters picketed the BFK (Bam-Ferrovial-Kiers) Leeds Arena construction site this morning, demanding the reinstatement of workers sacked for trade union activities.

The company, subcontracted by Crossrail, has been fiercely resisting the efforts of union Unite to win collective bargaining rights for those working on the project.

A health and safety rep was suspended last month for raising serious concerns. Two workers who took photos of dangerous cables and raised it with management were transferred off site.

Finally the bosses simply terminated the contract, throwing 28 workers out of a job.

The collapse of a gantry at the Crossrail site last Thursday exposes the dangerous nature of a construction industry which cuts costs by cutting corners.

In Chatham, 15 Unite members were sacked at the end of September by agency Cheema Group who want to drive down wages.

Victimisation is a tactic that goes hand in hand with the Blacklist used by firms to starve out workers who stick up for their rights.

Getting the workers reinstated is our immediate priority. The tactics used by the Sparks to defeat the bosses in the BESNA dispute point the way to achieving this.

Militant pickets which close BFK sites will hit them where it hurts – in the pocket. Rank-and-file organisation keeps control of the campaign in the workers’ hands.

The construction bosses have had it their way for too long. The bosses will cut wages, jobs, safety and endanger lives in order to compete for profit.

The organisation of workers into rank-and-file networks like the Sparks is the next step in taking democratic ownership of the struggle. This will give workers the power to go on the offensive – winning wage rights and employment conditions on their terms.

Reinstate sacked workers
Build rank-and-file organisation
Trade Union rights for all
Scrap the anti-union laws