'War of attrition' claim prompts inquiry on JLE

The Department of Trade and Industry and the Health and Safety Executive are being urged to investigate claims that Drake and Scull is harassing workers on the Jubilee Line Extension. The issue came to a head last Thursday when electricians held a wildcat strike on the massively delayed project.

Work ground to a halt as more than 500 electricians downed tools claiming that electrical contractor Drake and Scull is waging a war of attrition against the workforce in a bid to force them to sign waiver forms to the Working Time Regulations. At present, the electricians are refusing to opt-out and work longer than the maximum 48-hour limit set by the regulations.

A JLE shop steward told CJ: "Certain members of Drake and Scull's management have been harassing the men to sign waiver forms. But the last straw came on Thursday when all the men were called into meetings and told their bonuses would be cut if they were late in the morning and there would be no opportunity to make up the time at the end of the day. They were also told to start at 7.10am rather than 7.30am so they could be on site in all their gear by 7.30am. It's obvious they think they can wear us down but they are wrong. The men are unanimous and this sort of attitude will get them nowhere."

The JLE electricians returned to work on Friday. They are now asking the HSE and the DTI to investigate Drake and Scull's actions. "The Working Time Regulations clearly state that workers cannot be harassed or forced into working more than 48 hours. We want this matter investigated," said a JLE shop steward.

Drake and Scull denied it was pressing the operatives to work longer hours. In a statement to CJ, the company said: "Following a meeting with our employees on the 22 October to discuss various internal issues, a number of employees left site on unofficial industrial action.

"We subsequently learnt from statements made to the press by a steward that we are alleged to be putting pressure on individuals to work longer hours than they want to work. There is absolutely no truth in this statement. We have been informed by the stewards that the workforce preferred to take advantage of the introduction of the 48-hour average week to work shorter hours. We respect this decision and the company will not put any employee under pressure to sign or to work longer hours if they do not wish to do so.

"There is therefore no dispute between ourselves and the trade union or our workforce over the application of the Working Time Regulations. In fact, the executive of the AEEU and the Employers Association have recently signed an agreement which allows employees to work longer hours. It provides an industry opt-out from the working time provisions relating to hours and rest breaks.

"We understand that the Executive Council of the AEEU has repudiated the actions of their members in writing and will not support them in taking any industrial action which is unlawful under current legislation."

Frank Westerman of the AEEU refused to discuss the Executive Council's decision to repudiate the electricians' actions but said: "The AEEU is referring the matter to the JIB disputes committee and normal working will resume until then."

But some industry observers believe there is a wider political agenda to the dispute. "The electricians should be very careful as to where this is leading them. There are a lot of political and commercial reputations riding on the completion of the JLE. Taking unofficial action leaves them wide open to being dismissed en masse, which might be very welcome in some quarters," said one observer.