Scunthorpe scaffolders protest 13 December, 2021. Photo: Alisatir Tice

Scunthorpe scaffolders protest 13 December, 2021. Photo: Alisatir Tice   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Before Christmas, the 60 or so scaffolders who work at British Steel Scunthorpe finished their twelfth week of strike action with a protest demonstration outside the offices of their contractor, Actavo, in Wakefield. They took a 14,000-plus signature petition demanding that they be paid the national industry agreement rate for the job.

This followed on from the week before when scaffolding, decorated with Xmas lights, was erected across the main gate entrance to the steel plant early one morning, blockading vehicles and causing miles-long tailbacks lasting two and a half hours.

Unfortunately now, due to the Tory anti-trade union laws, the Unite union members are having to reballot as legal immunity from dismissal due to industrial action only lasts 12 weeks. So the strike has had to be paused for the ballot. But the workers are confident of winning a new mandate and hope to resume their indefinite strike on 24 January.