The erectors said the walk-outs were their last chance to use the fixed deadline of millennium projects to force employers to increase wages.
The 30 dome workers who walked off site were joined by more than 100 steel erectors from other high-profile London sites, including the £100m Merrill Lynch headquarters in the City of London and the £30m refurbishment of St Catherine’s House in Kingsway, central London.
The erectors are demanding the reinstatement of their £1 an hour London weighting. This was taken away in the early 1990s recession, and erectors insist that it should now be reintroduced. The erectors took their action in defiance of their union, the AEEU, which they claim is ignoring their wishes.
A circular distributed to the strikers said more action would follow. “Wednesday the 18th will not be an isolated incident. We are committed to campaigning until this issue is fully resolved in our favour,” it said.
One erector said: “We’ve started it now and we'll carry out more stoppages until the issue of London weighting is resolved. We’re tired of being construction’s poor relations. The union jumps when the Jubilee Line sparks want something, so we're following their lead.”
The majority of the strikers are employed by steel contractors William Hare and Amec-owned Watson Steel. Both companies declined to comment.
A spokesperson for New Millennium Experience Company said: “Workers from the Millennium Dome have joined the strike and protest in central London. However, the majority of steelwork here is complete so the stoppage does not affect us.”
The union jumps when the Jubilee Line sparks want something, so we’re following their lead
Striking steel erector
She added: “The dispute is entirely between them and their union, they are not in dispute with us.”
However, a dome source said there were at least five weeks of steelwork remaining and any delays could have an impact on the project schedule.
Ian Wylie, deputy chairman of Mace, Merrill Lynch’s construction manager, confirmed that erectors had failed to come to work. He said: “It’s unfortunate, but it’s not a union-backed protest, so hopefully the men will get together with their union and negotiate.”
He insisted that the stoppage would not affect the construction programme at Merrill Lynch. The project is already the subject of a dispute over bonuses in which steel erectors are refusing to work overtime.
A senior source at one steel contractor said: “It’s very worrying. These people seem determined to hold us to ransom and their unions are powerless to prevent it. If they keep this up, clients will forget about steel altogether.”
One of the strikers said: “We’re only asking for an extra £1 an hour to increase our pay by about £50 per week. I don't think that is unreasonable.”
