Unite protest outside City Academy Construction Site

[totallywired]

And unemployment? As long we get more money, fuckk the unemployed.

It's funny, people moaning about blacklisting and yet LUs, in effect, are blacklisters, especially when you look at PLAs and other attempts to monopolise work.

Fuck em and fuck Unite for lying in that email. Bellends

I cannot believe that somebody has so much hatred towards unemployed people. Any forum member or anybody you know who is unemployed, this is what this `person` thinks of you. Selfish doesn`t decribe him.
The 64 year old peson who was injured, has had both legs broken as well as one of his kneecaps. A much bigger series of demonstrations are now being organised at the site, against `b.a.m.` Construction. This will not be good publicity for our club.

Do Unite have any evidence that workers have been specifically blacklisted from working at the Academy site or are they just using that site because of the publicity they can get? All I've read is that some workers were blacklisted by BAM at the Crossrail project in London, why arent they launching a big demo there?

Blacklisted means they are denied work at all sites by companies that take part in blacklisting. The poeple i know have been blacklisted for th last 9 or 10 years, for want proper health and safety rules on the sites. BAM Construction paid £38,000 to the agency that is complicite in blacklisting. For this fee they get all employment details, names and addresses of workers who are health and safety reps and ordinary reps.
The demonstrations have taken place at crossrail, this is a demo organised by the blacklisted workers from the north west.

 

[lancs blue]

I cannot believe that somebody has so much hatred towards unemployed people. Any forum member or anybody you know who is unemployed, this is what this `person` thinks of you. Selfish doesn`t decribe him.
The 64 year old peson who was injured, has had both legs broken as well as one of his kneecaps. A much bigger series of demonstrations are now being organised at the site, against `b.a.m.` Construction. This will not be good publicity for our club.

Do Unite have any evidence that workers have been specifically blacklisted from working at the Academy site or are they just using that site because of the publicity they can get? All I've read is that some workers were blacklisted by BAM at the Crossrail project in London, why arent they launching a big demo there?

Blacklisted means they are denied work at all sites by companies that take part in blacklisting. The poeple i know have been blacklisted for th last 9 or 10 years, for want proper health and safety rules on the sites. BAM Construction paid £38,000 to the agency that is complicite in blacklisting. For this fee they get all employment details, names and addresses of workers who are health and safety reps and ordinary reps.
The demonstrations have taken place at crossrail, this is a demo organised by the blacklisted workers from the north west.

Thanks for the info. The agency you mentioned was raided and closed down in 2009, if Unite are convinced that blacklisting is still going on at BAM are they challenging it through the courts seeing as it is illegal? If proper H&S rules are not being followed on these sites why is the HSE not getting involved, don't they inspect major projects such as Crossrail on a regular basis?

 

[yerwot?]

The HSE can be likened to the Food Standards Agency, where horsemeat has been allowed to be sold for human consumption for years. Parliament is home to many chairmen of these firms that use blacklisting, and large meat processors. Factory inspectors routinely give notice of intended inspections. The BSE scandal could not have happened if rules were being imposed not just lip-service being paid.
The firm that was shut-down is about the fourth emanation of a firm that was shut down following an investigation and exposure on 'Dispatches' but no one goes to prison. The will just isn't there

 

[BlueMoon_1987]

The thing is does anyone know anything about the driver?

What I mean is it could have been a little old lady/gent driving that car and they would have shit themselves to see protesters jumping on their bonnet.Chances are that a Ford Ka probably isn't being driven by a big burly bloke, in fact it could have been a young lass on her own or somebody of a very fragile disposition.

Fact remains that jumping on somebody's car is a fucking stupid thing to do,whatever the circumstances.

I remember seeing him. He was a young bloke with a young girl, possibly his missus, in the front passenger seat in some distress because of those blokes on the bonnet. Foolhardy.

 

[ElanJo]

Oh look the dumbest thing i've read all day. Where were these laws protecting workers when that fertilizer plant blew up a few weeks ago? Why not compare pay in the trades in Texas to places unions still have some say?Seems like iron workers are making less than half in Dallas than they are in Chicago. Unions especially in America are as necessary now as they ever were and I'm not sure why you're even speaking on a situation 5000 miles away just so you can put down organised labor in America.

And unemployment? As long we get more money, fuckk the unemployed.

It's funny, people moaning about blacklisting and yet LUs, in effect, are blacklisters, especially when you look at PLAs and other attempts to monopolise work.

Fuck em and fuck Unite for lying in that email. Bellends

I cannot believe that somebody has so much hatred towards unemployed people. Any forum member or anybody you know who is unemployed, this is what this `person` thinks of you. Selfish doesn`t decribe him.
The 64 year old peson who was injured, has had both legs broken as well as one of his kneecaps. A much bigger series of demonstrations are now being organised at the site, against `b.a.m.` Construction. This will not be good publicity for our club.

I'm sticking up for the unemployed here, idiot.

 

[MANC LOYAL]

Could someone more intelligent than me explain what blacklisting is?

Is it being barred from future jobs because you've done something wrong?

Becuase you've been involved in Union activities.

Not always some are just bad workers always causing trouble.So the left wing nutters jump on the band wagon,and car bonnets.

 

[KPXBLN]

<a class="postlink" href="http://manchestermule.com/article/unionists-criticise-police-account-of-blacklist-hit-and-run-horror" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://manchestermule.com/article/union ... run-horror</a>

Greater Manchester Police’s description of the events leading up to a 64-year old trade unionist receiving serious injuries from a hit and run incident at an anti-blacklisting protest has been branded “disgraceful”.


George Tapp
Anti-blacklisting “hero” and veteran trade unionist George Tapp was left hospitalised on Wednesday evening by a savage hit and run attack at a peaceful protest outside a construction site at the Manchester City FC stadium complex.

Unite member Tapp was run down by a blue Ford Ka on Ashton New Road, suffering two broken legs and a serious head injury. Tapp is now stable in hospital but will require reconstructive surgery on one of his knees.

Up to 50 people took part in the picket to call attention to call attention to BAM Construction’s involvement in the infamous blacklisting scandal, which saw construction workers barred from employment due to their trade union activities.

Unite says that the firm, contracted to build MCFC’s £100m expansion of its training grounds, paid £38,371 to notorious blacklisting organisation the Consulting Association to run checks on workers between 1996 and 2009.

Eyewitness and Unite member Alex Halligan said Tapp had been on the road when “a car moved forward and began bumping his legs” while revving its engine. Suddenly, Halligan said, the car “sped off at some speed” for around 50 yards, carrying Tapp on the bonnet. The car then stopped, throwing Tapp to the ground before speeding away.

Two others also received minor injuries.

A statement from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said,”At around 6pm on Wednesday 13 May 2013, police were called to reports of a group of protesters stood across Ashton New Road, opposite BAM Construction site, blocking traffic travelling in both directions. On arrival, police discovered there had been a collision between a blue Ford Ka and 64-year-old man. He was taken to hospital and treated.”

Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson from North Manchester division said, “From what we can see from CCTV, protesters were blocking Ashton New Road, preventing motorists from going any further. A number of people stood in front of the Ford Ka and climbed upon the bonnet before it moved forward. The car then travelled a short distance at a slow speed before it stopped and one of the men fell off. The car reversed and drove off.

“We are working to ascertain whether any criminal offence has occurred and I would ask the driver of the car or anyone who witnessed the incident to contact police. Officers are now in the process of talking to representatives of Unite Union and BAM Construction to establish what happened last night.

“While we respect the democratic right of anyone holding a peaceful protest, if we believe individuals have behaved in an unlawful manner, we will take action.”

Halligan labelled the police account “disgraceful” with “no bearing to reality whatsoever”, rubbishing claims that Tapp had climbed onto the bonnet or that the car had moved away slowly. He added that the trade unionists were considering a complaint to the IPCC. “They’re playing games”, he said, noting that the police are not releasing the CCTV images.

Tapp is said to be “good” and “full of fight” after the incident, though he had “lost pints of blood” from a gash on his head and “can’t get out of bed for four to eight weeks” according to Halligan. “He’s a strong feller”, he added.

Salford Unison secretary Steve North echoed the criticism of GMP, saying it was “ridiculous to say he was on the bonnet” and that union solicitors were looking into the matter. “It’s very unusual to send out a message that condemnatory” after someone had been badly injured in a road incident, he pointed out.

North, who spoke to Mule after returning from a hospital visit, reported that Tapp was “doing as well as can be expected” and that he “appreciates all the support people are offering”.

North added that “we’ll all stand by him and his family”, and said Tapp was looking forward to rejoining the battle against the “flagrant human rights abuse” of blacklisting.

Manchester Trades Union Council Secretary Richard Lighten said, “Everyone’s shocked about what happened. We don’t know who did it or what the intention was.

“I hope that George gets back to fitness quickly and that whatever happens as a result of this incident people get fired up to stop the blacklisting.”

Richard Goulding

Depressing, but not surprising, to see all the right wingers out in force on this thread. Do you really think 2 broken legs and a smashed kneecap are commensurate with "a short distance at slow speed" then fell off? Nevermind your politics, use your critical faculties, if you possess any. Where's the CCTV?

 

[robbie brewer]

Another example of unions taking a legitimate protest too far. The fact that an eye witness who happens to be a "Unite" member provides a statement to Police which gives a version of events which when viewed against CCTV is clearly a lie makes it even worse. By all means protest against injustice but don't lie to further you're cause when it goes wrong. I won't go as far as to say the guy deserved to be injured but i would say he is partly responsible for what happened.

 

[Blue Smarties]

More left wing propaganda, I can't believe they're trying to ruin a young gentleman's life with their lies. Absolute filth.

 

[KPXBLN]

I remember seeing him. He was a young bloke with a young girl, possibly his missus, in the front passenger seat in some distress because of those blokes on the bonnet. Foolhardy.

Really? Cos it was a hit and run; he didn't stick around. So you're saying you got a good sight of the guy who broke both the old mans legs - I reckon you should give the rozzers a description.