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Walkout after 'local labour' row Walkout after 'local labour' row
(about 2 hours later)
Contract workers at a LNG site and power station have walked out on unofficial strike in a dispute over the hiring of local labour.Contract workers at a LNG site and power station have walked out on unofficial strike in a dispute over the hiring of local labour.
The GMB union said the walk out started with 50 laggers at South Hook liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.The GMB union said the walk out started with 50 laggers at South Hook liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.
It comes only a week the terminal was officially opened by the Queen. It comes only a week after the terminal was officially opened by the Queen.
Laggers and thermal insulation engineers also walked out at Aberthaw power station in the Vale of Glamorgan. Workers also walked out in sympathy at plants as far afield as Vale of Glamorgan, Lincolnshire and Widnes.
A spokesperson for South Hook confirmed a number of employees of a sub-contractor had walked off the site.A spokesperson for South Hook confirmed a number of employees of a sub-contractor had walked off the site.
"The sub-contractor involved is taking steps to resolve matters with its employees and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time," said the spokesperson."The sub-contractor involved is taking steps to resolve matters with its employees and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time," said the spokesperson.
GMB officials said the dispute is believed to have started at South Hook and stem from a contractor Hertel UK refusing to meet a standard agreement to offer local workers priority in stage two lagging work. GMB officials said the dispute is believed to stem from contractor Hertel UK refusing to meet a standard agreement to offer local workers priority in stage two lagging work.
Union sources said the industrial action could spread to other sites across the UK unless the dispute was resolved quickly.Union sources said the industrial action could spread to other sites across the UK unless the dispute was resolved quickly.
Hertel UK said it would comment later.Hertel UK said it would comment later.
A spokesperson for RWE Npower says some contractors have walked off site at Aberthaw power station but they have not had any formal notification about their reasons.
All RWE Npower employers are at work and the site is operating.
Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, said his union was making urgent inquiries into the cause of the dispute.Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, said his union was making urgent inquiries into the cause of the dispute.
He said: "We understand that an agreement to give work on these large projects to local labour has been breached."He said: "We understand that an agreement to give work on these large projects to local labour has been breached."
South Hook was officially opened as a LNG terminal by the Queen earlier this month.South Hook was officially opened as a LNG terminal by the Queen earlier this month.
Some workers have also apparently walked out at Dragon LNG site a few miles away. The dispute soon caused sympathy action at other plants.
Laggers and thermal insulation engineers walked out at Aberthaw power station in the Vale of Glamorgan.
A spokesperson for RWE Npower says some contractors have walked off site at Aberthaw power station but they have not had any formal notification about their reasons.
All RWE Npower employers are at work and the site is operating.
Some workers also walked out at Dragon LNG site, a few miles away from the South Hook site in Milford Haven.
A spokeswoman for Dragon LNG, which is currently building a smaller terminal the other side of Milford Haven, said some workers had left the site in support of industrial action elsewhere, but it was not a mass exodus and there was no demonstration.A spokeswoman for Dragon LNG, which is currently building a smaller terminal the other side of Milford Haven, said some workers had left the site in support of industrial action elsewhere, but it was not a mass exodus and there was no demonstration.
Similar action took place at the same sites in January in support of staff at the Lindsey refinery in north Lincolnshire over a £200m construction contract being given to an Italian firm. Meanwhile, around 400 workers in Widnes and north Lincolnshire walked out in sympathy.
More than 200 staff at the Fiddlers Ferry power station in Widnes stopped work although a union official said they should return to work on Wednesday.
A number of contractors also walked out of the ConocoPhillips Humber refinery in North Lincolnshire.
This site at South Killingholme is next to the Total Lindsey Refinery at the centre of the action earlier this year.
According to some reports, about 200 contractors walked out in support of the workers in west Wales.
In a statement, ConocoPhillips said: "This morning a number of contract maintenance workforce walked out at the ConocoPhillips Humber Refinery.
"The action is unrelated to ConocoPhillips' local employment practices and no ConocoPhillips staff are involved. The action has not affected the normal operations at the site and we look forward to the situation being resolved as soon as possible."