Health and Safety Concerns AMEY COLAS High-Output Joint Venture

Dear Colleague

HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS AMEY COLAS

HIGH-OUTPUT JOINT VENTURE

Mick Cash the Union’s Senior Assistant General Secretary and RMT AmeyColas safety reps met with AmeyColas JV management on Thursday 1^st November 2012.

At that meeting we sought to get clear commitments on:

• Improving staffing levels on the machines,
• Using only directly employed staff for key safety work like operators, fitters and COSS
• Clear training and competency requirements for all staff

We challenged the JV management to demonstrate their sincerity by committing to these easy and simple requests.

I am sorry to say that the JV has responded in a way that in our view does not show its commitment to seriously address our concerns. Indeed the opposite; all they have done is sought to hedge their bets and buy time. We have seen this tactic before from this management and are bitterly disappointed at the response. We believe the reasons they are reluctant to commit to our requests are for commercial reasons. Literally putting profit before safety.

We have seen a series of near misses, concerns about under reporting of accidents, working excessive hours and a serious recent accident where an employee had his fingertips cut off. The General Grades Committee have now considered a report of the negotiating team and the GGC have now carried the following resolution:

“We note the correspondence from ACJV on file. This GGC believes the response does not address the concerns raised by our members. We have continuously sought to resolve these matters with the company to no avail,

Therefore we instruct the General secretary to advise Amey & Colas that we are in dispute, and to ballot our members for strike action.

Further, a letter explaining our position is to be sent to all our members affected by this dispute.

Branches and Regional Councils to be advised.”

It is clear to your union that having gone that extra mile to try and resolve this matter through negotiations that we are now going to ask RMT members working on the ACJV to support a ballot for industrial action.

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of relevant members. I will keep you informed of developments with this case.

Yours sincerely

Bob Crow

General Secretary