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From The Socialist newspaper, 21 March 2018
Hinkley workers win back unpaid wages after sit-in protest
Hinkley C, photo schoella (Creative Commons) (Click to enlarge)
Tom Baldwin, South West Socialist Party organiser
Workers building the Hinkley C nuclear power plant in Somerset have won back unpaid wages after more than 500 staged a two-day sit-in protest.
The dispute arose when workers were sent away on 1 March, as the site was closed due to extreme winter weather.
As with other large construction projects, many workers had travelled from across the country to work on the site and so were unable to return home.
They remained in their digs, ready and available to work their scheduled shifts over the weekend. They were only prevented from working by the heavy snow.
On their return to work on 6 March however, workers for contractors Kier and BAM Nuttall were informed by text that they would not be paid for the days the site was closed.
Trade union agreements state that workers should be paid in these circumstances but the employers were trying it on.
The power station being built for EDF Energy will be the most expensive structure on Earth when completed, at £19.6 billion.
The contractors concerned are giant construction firms, they're not short a few quid and yet they tried to pick the pockets of their staff.
But workers weren't taking this affront lying down. Hundreds of them then began a sit-in protest in the on-site canteen, refusing to move until they were paid.
Victory came on the second day of the protest. Workers will now be paid in line with union agreements, after talks between Unite the Union and EDF.
When we fight, we can win. However, workers need to be constantly vigilant. Employers already make huge profits exploiting our labour but that won't stop them trying to rob us further in whatever way they can.
Union power and collective action are the only ways to ensure they stick to their agreements.
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
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In The Socialist 21 March 2018:
What we think
Russia, spies and nerve agents
Socialist Party news and analysis
The Blairites are NHS privatisers - to save it means sacking them
Hated Blairite mayor ousted: now fight for a no-cuts Newham!
International socialist news and analysis
West Virginia teachers' strike victory
US school shootings: student walkouts challenge establishment
Brazil: Psol councillor Marielle Franco murdered
Workplace news and analysis
UCU strike: staff and students unite to continue pensions fight after magnificent 14 days of action
Hinkley workers win back unpaid wages after sit-in protest
Strikers and parents rally again in Newham against academies
Hull college workers ballot for action against mass redundancies
Unions condemn 'culture of bullying' at Merseyside hospital
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Refugees march against racism and to demand rights
Ideas matter: help us fight to win with May Day greetings
Past fund-raising campaigns show dedication to the fight for socialism
Hands Off HRI campaign granted judicial review
Over 1,000 on Newcastle NHS march
Refugee Rights to be launched in Manchester
Opinion
Revolutionary physicist and champion of social causes
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