Construction firm staff say yes to strike

Workers at a leading construction firm have voted in favour of strike action in a long-running row over pay and conditions, it was announced last night.

Unite said its members at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES) backed industrial action by 67 per cent after being re-balloted following a legal challenge to an earlier vote.

Electricians, plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers were among those who voted for strike action which Unite warned could hit high-profile projects and sites such as Crossrail, Grangemouth and Sellafield.

Unite said it had given an undertaking to the courts that it would not call industrial action until after the outcome of a hearing due to be held next Tuesday after another legal challenge from the company.

The union is in dispute with seven firms, claiming they have “torn up” agreements and set new pay and conditions in the industry.

Unite has reported the firms to the Office of Fair Trading, claiming they acted in an anti-competitive way by “driving down” pay and conditions.

A total of 295 Unite members voted in favour of a strike, 145 voted no, with six spoilt papers in a 50 per cent turnout.