Amicus struggles over strike ballot

Threatened industrial action over pay in the engineering construction sector may be halted before it has even started.
Nearly two months after operatives rejected the offer of a two-year deal worth 8% on basic rates, contractors in the Engineering Construction Industry Association (ECIA) had by Easter still received no formal notice of any strike ballot.
It is believed that union officials are experiencing severe difficulties in organising a ballot in compliance with the law. In particular, in a mobile industry they are having problems identifying the members who may be entitled to vote on the 18 or more sites under threat.
Meanwhile, the 5 April date, by which the industry's national NAECI agreement was due for renewal has come and gone. And employers have confirmed that the offer is not being unilaterally implemented.
The employers have told union leader Paul Corby of Amicus that they are not prepared to re-open talks and that their 8% offer remains "final". They have also stressed that there is no provision for any backdating of a
settlement.