[Imc-london] call for cameras to cover kings cross crane occupation

[Planet Mail]

further to this -

if anyones free and can get down there to take some pics or video
it would be very useful :)

all seems cool there - four people occupying two cranes with banners
reading

"Workers Solidarity"
and something like
"Laing O'Rourke Exploits Workers"

site manager has been up one crane to talk to people occupying it
a few police in attendance

At 09:19 22/11/2004, Planet Mail wrote:
>hiya,
>
>kings cross cranes occupied this morning - would make a good feature
>plus there's a demo tonight if anyone wants to go and cover it
>see below and post on wire
>
>https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/11/301614.html
>
>Previous fronptage feature:
>http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/11/300648.html
>
>
>
> >---- Forwarded message xxxx -----
> >URGENT! Laing O'Rourke Workers Solidarity Action Happening NOW
> >Several cranes have been occupied on the Laing O'Rourke Kings Cross
> >
> >Rail Link construction site, in solidarity with workers on the site
> >
> >who are fighting a new pay deal.
> >
> >action happening now. people up cranes.
> >
> >5pm: meet up outside kings cross station - bring sense of humour
> >
> >---------------------------------------
> >Monday 22 November 2004, 6.00am - ACTION NOW
> >
> >URGENT! Laing O'Rourke Workers Solidarity Action Happening NOW
> >
> >ACTION TODAY: 5pm, Monday 22 November: demonstration - meet outside
> >
> >the front of King's Cross station. bring drums and sense of humour
> >___________________________________________________
> >For the online text of the leaflet see:
> >http://www.wombles.org.uk/actions/laing.php
> >See also http://www.indymedia.org.uk for updates
> >
> >Laing O'Rourke Workers Solidarity Action NOW! :: King's Cross Rail
> >Link, 22nd November 2004 :: Workers Solidarity Against Bosses
> >Profits
> >
> >Several cranes have been occupied on the Laing O'Rourke Kings Cross
> >
> >Rail Link construction site, in solidarity with workers on the site
> >
> >who are fighting a new pay deal.
> >
> >Why we're up there
> >We're acting in solidarity with construction workers on the Laing
> >O'Rourke Channel Tunnel Rail Link site in King's Cross, who are
> >being forced into signing an exploitative new contract by their
> >bosses. In response to this threat, they have begun to organise
> >themselves without the help of union leaders. They have held mass
> >meetings off-site, elected shop stewards and organised pickets and
> >sit-ins.
> >
> >"We demand no cut in pay. We all have bills, rent, mortgages to pay
> >
> >- we need guaranteed money not a promise of it if the site agent
> >thinks we deserve it," says (a worker) Laing workers want no
> >discretionary bonus scheme, they want full holiday pay and sick
> >pay, a pension scheme, redundancy pay and no forced overtime.
> >
> >New contract, old con tricks
> >Under the new contract pay will be cut in half, management will
> >decide bonuses, workers must plan a day off 40 days in advance and
> >holiday pay could be cut by ⣐ per day. Some employees have
> >been
> >forced to sign the contract after being threatened with the sack if
> >
> >they refuse. Others, who barely speak English, have been pushed
> >into signing a contract they do not understand.
> >
> >Construction union UCATT sold out workers on the site by agreeing
> >to the contract without consulting them. GMB - another union that
> >one-third of the workers belong to -was barred from the site in a
> >breach of construction industry agreements. GMB was only admitted
> >after workers staged there own direct action by sitting in on the
> >site to allow them access.
> >
> >De-construction
> >Workers at all Laing O'Rourke sites - including Canary Wharf,
> >Heathrow's Terminal 5, Newham Hospital and sites in Birmingham and
> >Liverpool - are faced with this new contract and potentially face
> >the sack if they refuse to sign. If Laing O'Rourke get away with
> >implementing these contracts, it will have huge implications for
> >all construction workers - driving down wages and imposing
> >conditions that put workers at greater risk. They fear that
> >production bonuses and forced overtime will lead to a faster work
> >pace, cut corners and exhaustion, with health and safety likely to
> >suffer.
> >
> >In recent years, the building industry has been using a huge amount
> >
> >of subcontracted, casual labour. Many construction workers have
> >seen an erosion of rights, job security and benefits as a result. A
> >
> >decline in safety standards has led to more deaths at work, with
> >over a 100 deaths per year in the industry, and managements
> >refusing to take responsibility - exemplified by the case of Simon
> >Jones, a young temp worker sent to a job on the Brighton docks
> >without any training. He died in an accident on his first day at
> >work.
> >
> >Double-Crossed in Kings Cross?
> >Local residents recently won a court order forbidding Channel
> >Tunnel Rail development work 24 hours a day due to the noise and
> >disruption it would cause. This is likely to cause a delay in work
> >costing the contractors millions of pounds. Laing O'Rourke intends
> >to claw back their massive profits by cutting workers wages.
> >
> >However, noise is only one problem faced by local residents. Since
> >the 1980's local people have been resisting the development,
> >fearing the destruction it would cause to their community. The
> >Kings Cross Rail Link has already cost the area social housing -
> >many council and housing association flats were pulled down to make
> >
> >way for the development. There is now a seven-year waiting list for
> >
> >council flats in the area. Most new private housing will be
> >expensive and far beyond the reach of local people. The 20-year
> >construction programme will lead to the area's gentrification. The
> >jobs such 'regeneration' will create are likely to be part-
> >time/temp jobs in shopping malls and other services - poorly-paid
> >casual work for people who will no longer be able to afford to live
> >
> >in the newly desirable area.
> >
> >Flexibly Fucked Over
> >What's happening in the construction industry is part of a wider
> >change in the nature of work - and in our lives. There has been a
> >shift from 'jobs-for-life' backed up by unions, public housing and
> >a welfare state, to a condition of precarity. Precarity is
> >characterised by casual, temporary, agency, part-time, freelance,
> >'flexible' work - mainly in the service, construction,
> >communications and information industries - badly paid and with
> >little security. Our situations have all become dominated by
> >insecurities and fear, undermining our abilitiies to organise and
> >think for ourselves. This fear is the weapon of the multi-
> >nationals, states and armies that walk this earth causing misery to
> >
> >billions of people in pursuit of more power and control.
> >
> >Solidarity is our weapon
> >Our action here is an act of defiance against Laing O'Rourke, a
> >show of solidarity for all those being fucked over by there
> >managers, supervisors and bosses. We are joining them in their self-
> >
> >organised struggle for a living wage. We also fight back against
> >our own situation of precarity, inside and outside of work, in
> >London and across the world.
> >
> >For background information see the following articles on
> >www.indymedia.org.uk
> >http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/10/300085.html
> >http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/10/300086.html
> >http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/10/300087.html
> >http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/10/300419.html
> >http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/10/300415.html
> >
> >Also see:
> >http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0410/rmt1.html
> >
> >____________________________________________________
> >
> >For the online text of the leaflet see:
> >http://www.wombles.org.uk/actions/laing.php
> >
> >See also http://www.indymedia.org.uk for updates
> >
> >
> >WOMBLES
> >http://www.wombles.org.uk/
>
>
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