Crossrail flashmob blocks London’s Oxford Street

As we reported last week, 28 workers including a Unite steward and safety rep have been dismissed from the Crossrail Westbourne Park site in west London.

The unionised workers employed by EIS Electrical were searched and removed from the site at the instruction of Bam Ferrovial Kier (BFK), the consortium of contractors building Crossrail.

Crossrail is going to be one of the largest infrastructure jobs in the whole of Western Europe – if it is unionised the workforce will earn good wages and the job will be safe.

The importance of this was underlined when a recent accident at Westbourne Park caused the site to be closed.

Around 50 construction workers and their supporters blocked Oxford Street in central London on 26 September, where there is a large Crossrail site.

There was a lot of support from passing shoppers and workers when large banners protesting at the sackings and blacklisting were unfurled.

See: www.shopstewards.net for a video.

Watch this space for news of further ‘flashmob’ protests. There are also daily protests at Westbourne Park, 6.30-9am.