Sparks flying and votes of no confidence over three year JIB deal!!

Earlier this year site electricians in Unite voted against a three year JIB deal negotiated by union officials under the control of National Officer Tom Hardacre. Everywhere this deal was put to meetings of sparks site stewards and rank and file union members. Much anger was expressed and Hardacre and company were told to uphold the ballot result and take the deal back to the employers and demand a much better one.
Hardacre’s reply was to organise a meeting of 14 hand picked stewards in London and they voted 8-6 for the deal.
This fury and anger was reflected at the September meeting of Unite’s London Construction Branch when over 40 rank and file sparks unanimously carried a vote of no confidence in Hardacre and his associates and demanded he stands down. More significantly and importantly they also voted unanimously to remove the sitting branch secretary, who was one of the eight stooges who voted for the deal, and unanimously voted in Steve Kelly, a well known and respected militant sparks to replace him. Two other militant sparks were also voted in to replace the sitting chair and treasurer respectively. The three new branch officials are also supporters of the UK R&F BWC.
Latest we hear is that word [i.e. a rumour!] is being put round, by officials of course, that the next deal will be a one year deal. No doubt this is a sweetener to try to convince the rank & file to accept the bitter pill of the crap that’s presently on ‘offer’. Bollocks! Many rank & file sparks are saying, we want a ONE YEAR DEAL NOW AND SOMETHING LIKE £20PH FOR ALL SITE SPARKS.
And so say all of us!!

~ by ukrfbwc on November 29, 2007.