Site Workers Striking Back – victory over safety and robbery at King’s Cross
STRIKE – PICKETS AND MINI-BARRICADES STOP ROBBERY!
For four weeks labour agency Hennellys on the Balfour Beatty site at London’s Kings X new underground station ticket offices had not paid wages owed to about 40 men they employed there. At the end of May beginning of June these mainly general workers [term which covers a multitude of construction skills], who were not in a union, decided enough was enough, went on strike, put a picket on the site and used giant traffic cones as mini barricades to stop lorries taking supplies onto the site. Many lorries didn’t cross the picket line and many of their fellow workers in other occupations and companies also refused to cross!
R & F SOLIDARITY SAVES THE DAY!
This was a tremendous display of rank and file working class solidarity and within four days the men went back to work after getting the money owed to them and being promised it wouldn’t happen again. Balfour Beatty were told if it did they’d be held directly responsible. No fulltime union officials [FTO’s] were involved in this action. Which is just as well as they would have told the men to go back to work and leave it to them and the official machinery and the men would’ve remained robbed!
The UK R&F Building Workers Committee [R&F BWC] were involved in supporting the strikers so this was a real R&F victory in every way manner and form. With strike action, and solidarity on picket winning the day.
IMMEDIATE LESSONS/ STRIKE WHEN THE IRON IS HOT!
It’s better if site workers are in a union and well organised with ELECTED site stewards. Then the likelihood of an employer robbing you is much less than if your not organised. And if they do try to rob you it’s much easier to get the support of other workers and occupations on site and go out on strike with you. This goes for all major issues as well as robbery!
However whether in a union or not do not leave it to FTOs or anyone else who tell you to leave it to them but advises you to go back to work. You really do have to strike while the iron is hot before FTOs and employers out manoeuvre you! The men at Kings X proved categorically this is how to do it,
No ifs, no buts!
SLIGHTLY LONGER TERM?
DIRECT EMPLOYMENT WITH MAIN CONTRACTOR
Many union officials and others argue Direct Employment is the best way to ensure site workers are not robbed and get other rights they are entitled to. However this clearly not enough in itself. The men with Hennellys at Kings X were directly employed but this didn’t stop the bastards trying to rob them!
The best way to guarantee not being robbed is for all the main occupations on site, including general workers, to be directly employed by the main contractor. This will stop the main contractor using sub contractors to wash their hands of any responsibility for wages robbed by a sub contractor or smaller contractor. And a major contractor is much less likely to go into temporary liquidation to avoid meeting their financial and other obligations to their employees.
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