Steel erectors fight to raise pay stakes

by John d'Arcy



Three new power station projects in the South-east in conjunction with two major tower block developments at London's Canary Wharf have combined to put inflationary pressures on rates of pay for steel erectors in the region.

The workload rush is being blamed for an outbreak of unofficial site action by erectors who are demanding the restoration of a £1 per hour supplement which was introduced as part of the settlement of a strike during the building boom of the late 1980s.

The pressure on wage rates has been sparked by contracts for power stations at Damhead Creek, Coryton, and Shoreham coinciding with the Canary Wharf developments due to start in October.

A continuing moratorium on power station building is thought to have accelerated work on those stations already programmed. The moratorium is not expected to be lifted until at least the middle of next year, which puts a damper on medium-term engineering construction work prospects and skills demands.