UCATT: Brown must use 2012 Olympics to boost training

Construction trade union UCATT has called on incoming prime minister Gordon Brown to use the 2012 Olympics as a flagship project for British workers.

In a statement, it said it urged Brown to work with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to ensure the games created a skills legacy for a generation of young workers.

General secretary Alan Ritchie said: “The project must be managed to ensure that workers secure well-paid jobs, working in a safe environment. It must maximise the training of local young people in key trades, such as construction, where there are currently chronic skills shortages.”

Ritchie also hinted that a Brown premiership would boost his push to ensure all workers on Olympics projects were directly employed.

“The Chancellor’s speech has given a massive fillip to my union’s attempts to work closely with the ODA to achieve a lasting legacy for British workers,” he said.