Union Secures £1 Million Pay Back for HS2 Workers

AN AGREEMENT has been secured by construction union, Unite, ending HS2 workers being denied the correct overtime rates and deprived of the correct holiday entitlement. The affected workers will also receive substantial back pay estimated to total more than £1million.

Earlier this week (Tuesday 26 March 2019) Unite revealed that it had obtained multiple payslips from workers employed by labour supplier, Bowercross Construction Ltd (BCL), on the Euston HS2 contract being worked on by the Costain/Skanska Joint Venture (CSJV).

Unite estimates that the failure to pay the correct overtime rates means that workers were being underpaid an average of over £100 a week.

Back Payments

On 27 March 2019, CSJV agreed to immediately begin paying correct overtime rates and to increase the holiday entitlement as set out in the framework agreement which was agreed between unions and HS2 in April 2016.

CSJV has also committed to provide back pay to all the affected workers on site. Unite estimates that the back pay bill is in excess of £1 million.

Issues Still Remain

According to Unite, even with the victory on overtime and holiday entitlement serious issues still remain on the HS2 project. CSJV continues to refuse Unite access to speak to workers during their breaks. CSJV say that a Unite officer speaking to workers during their breaks in the canteen would compromise their “health, safety and welfare” which is refuted by the union.

Unite proposed a compromise, that any meeting involving more than four workers would be held in a separate room, in order not to disrupt the canteen, but this was rejected by CSJV.

Unite national officer for construction, Jerry Swain.

Unite national officer Jerry Swain, said: “CSJV had no option once the scandal of the underpayments was revealed by Unite to immediately ensure the correct rates are paid.

“Questions remain about who knew and for how long; workers were being underpaid and exploited.

“The commitment to not only pay the correct rates, but also to ensure that everyone who has been underpaid will receive the correct back pay, demonstrated the value of unions. Without Unite the underpayment scandal would have continued unchallenged.

“This is the second time that Unite has discovered serious problems with the CSJV contract. Since the overtime and holiday scandal was revealed, workers have come forward to raise fresh issues about pay, conditions, safety and welfare.

“It is currently proving impossible to properly tackle these matters as CSJV continues to defy the commitment of HS2 to ensure ‘suppliers work constructively with trade unions’, by denying Unite free access to workers during their breaks.

“CSJV must understand that Unite will not allow the denial of access to remain unchallenged. Unite will be using all the levers available: industrial, legal and political, to ensure the workers on this site and throughout the HS2 project have proper access to the union.”