A bitter dispute over the use of foreign workers on a British construction project today spread to Northern Ireland.
A total of 60 disgruntled employees and sub-contractors on a project at Kilroot power station, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim,
walked out in solidarity with striking colleagues across the water angry about “discrimination” against British labour.
The Northern Ireland group is employed on a project to clean up emissions at Kilroot, which overlooks Belfast Lough.
Members’ actions don’t effect the generation of power.
A spokesman for AMEC plc said he hoped the 30 directly employed staff and 30 sub-contractors would be back to work soon.
“This isn’t a dispute between AMEC and our workforce, it is an expression of solidarity with the other issues affecting plants around the UK,” he said.
Last weekend East Antrim Assembly member Sammy Wilson said jobs preference should be given to indigenous workers.
A decision to bring in hundreds of Italian and Portuguese contractors to work on a new £200 million plant at the giant
Lindsey Oil Refinery at North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire, led to protests in support of jobs for British workers this week.
Several hundred demonstrators gathered for a third day outside the plant following a walk-out by contractors on
Wednesday, but the unofficial action spread to other parts of the UK, including Scotland and Wales.
Hundreds of workers at the giant Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland walked out following an early morning meeting.
The mechanical contractors, who work for BP and INEOS, said they were supporting their colleagues in Lincolnshire.
Bobby Buirds, a regional officer for the union Unite, said workers at Grangemouth were striking to protect British jobs.
“The argument is not against foreign workers, it’s against foreign companies discriminating against British labour.
“If the job of these mechanical contractors at INEOS finishes and they try and get jobs down south (England), the jobs
are already occupied by foreign labour and their opportunities are decreasing.
“This is a fight for work. It is a fight for the right to work in our own country. It is not a racist argument at all.”
PA