Unions use Olympics to push for increased pay

Unions UCATT, the T&G, GMB and Amicus will meet Neale Coleman, Ken Livingstone’s planning director, and Alison Nimmo, acting chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, at a meeting to discuss the Olympics next month.

The four unions are expected to demand that either national construction pay agreements for large projects be made a legal requirement for London contracts, or that a common rate be adopted for the capital.

A T&G source said: “We want the contracts to include a legal basis for national agreements, or failing that a common London rate. Workers need to be paid enough to be attracted to the job, and the deals need to be binding to prevent employers turning to cheap foreign labour.”

A TUC spokesperson said although the congress did not have a unified position on Olympics procurement, unions would seek to implement national agreements wherever possible. He said the TUC was in favour of the model used in the Sydney Olympics, which increased rates paid across the Sydney region.

The spokesperson said: “We are strong advocates of the Sydney model, which covered work in the whole of the administrative region, not just specific Olympics contracts.”

Meanwhile, civils workers on Heathrow Terminal 5 have rejected the offer of a pay increase by Laing O’Rourke. Laing O’Rourke has offered a 22p increase in the minimum bonus rate to £2.30, which sources say is below union expectations.