Construction workers protest: Staythorpe power station

Staythorpe power station construction workers protest outside Newark Jobcentre, photo Steve Score

Power station workers joined hundreds of protesters in an early morning walkout on 11 February.

Steve Score, East Midlands Socialist Party

Workers marched to Newark Jobcentre and entered en-masse to get application forms for work on the Staythorpe power station site, after a picket of the power station. There was anger that the jobs are advertised in the Jobcentre, but when applications are forwarded on to the contractor, they seem to be ignored.

Keith Gibson, one of the leaders of the Lindsey refinery strike, spoke to protesting construction workers outside the Jobcentre.

Staythorpe power station construction workers protest outside Newark Jobcentre, photo Steve Score

“We are demanding the right to work. If we don’t win this battle, that’s the future, signing on at Jobcentres. I think we’ve got to call on our leadership, the leadership of Unite, the leadership of the GMB, the TUC and demand a national demonstration in London to wake the government up; to say that working people demand a political voice. But unfortunately we haven’t got that political voice.

“We want jobs, we want a government that supports working people. I think that we should say to all our local and national trade union officials that we demand a one-day stoppage in this industry and a march on parliament.”