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Subbies in dispute at Coventry Arena
15:33 03 Nov 2004
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Work stopped on Laing O’Rourke’s £60m Coventry Arena contract last week amid accusations of “subbie bashing” among subcontractors.
Steel workers on the Coventry Arena, the new home of Coventry City Football Club from August 2005, walked off site for two days following a dispute between steel supplier William Hare and its subcontractor Steel Frame Services (SFS).
The contract for steel and precast work was originally set for 26 weeks, but Hare wanted to extend it to 34 weeks without paying its subbies extra.
A source close to the contract said: “It’s disgusting – the bully boys want to walk all over us. It’s a David and Goliath situation.
“These people shouldn’t be able to treat us the way they do.”
Hare, which has used eight different steel fabricators for the work, is contracted to install 7,000t of steel for the new stadium. Work should have finished last Friday ahead of the stadium’s opening in 10 months’ time.
A spokesman for main contractor Laing O’Rourke refused to comment on whether delays in the steelwork might push the £60m project behind schedule.
However, an industry source told CJ: “It wouldn’t matter if you put 1,000 extra people in there – the stages that are left you can’t speed up because of the way the building’s put together.”
Coventry City Council plans to lease the stadium to Coventry City FC. A council spokesman said: “As far as we’re concerned there are no issues that affect work on the site and we’re confident it will be completed by July 2005.”
Laing O’Rourke won the contract after Birse pulled out in March 2003 – less than a month before work was due to begin. Birse changed its mind during cost planning and design work.
Project manager Drivers Jonas refused to comment on the situation.
SFS served seven days’ notice on the contract, although the company returned to work on Monday. Bosses at the two firms will meet this week to discuss the situation.
CJ understands that there is still dissatisfaction between subcontractors on site.
But Hare company secretary David Stansfield denied this: “There was a dispute, but it’s
over now. We are now in constant conversation with our subcontractor.”
Steel workers on the Coventry Arena, the new home of Coventry City Football Club from August 2005, walked off site for two days following a dispute between steel supplier William Hare and its subcontractor Steel Frame Services (SFS).
The contract for steel and precast work was originally set for 26 weeks, but Hare wanted to extend it to 34 weeks without paying its subbies extra.
A source close to the contract said: “It’s disgusting – the bully boys want to walk all over us. It’s a David and Goliath situation.
“These people shouldn’t be able to treat us the way they do.”
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Hare, which has used eight different steel fabricators for the work, is contracted to install 7,000t of steel for the new stadium. Work should have finished last Friday ahead of the stadium’s opening in 10 months’ time.
A spokesman for main contractor Laing O’Rourke refused to comment on whether delays in the steelwork might push the £60m project behind schedule.
However, an industry source told CJ: “It wouldn’t matter if you put 1,000 extra people in there – the stages that are left you can’t speed up because of the way the building’s put together.”
Coventry City Council plans to lease the stadium to Coventry City FC. A council spokesman said: “As far as we’re concerned there are no issues that affect work on the site and we’re confident it will be completed by July 2005.”
Laing O’Rourke won the contract after Birse pulled out in March 2003 – less than a month before work was due to begin. Birse changed its mind during cost planning and design work.
Project manager Drivers Jonas refused to comment on the situation.
SFS served seven days’ notice on the contract, although the company returned to work on Monday. Bosses at the two firms will meet this week to discuss the situation.
CJ understands that there is still dissatisfaction between subcontractors on site.
But Hare company secretary David Stansfield denied this: “There was a dispute, but it’s
over now. We are now in constant conversation with our subcontractor.”
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