This week Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! again supported the electricians taking principled unofficial action against the companies trying to pull out of the JIB pay and conditions agreement.
On the morning of Wednesday 18 October, we were outside Balfour Beatty’s site at Blackfriars, with over 200 electricians and mounting a picketline at the staff entrances. This included blocking the lorry entrance on the bridge. A large placard marked ‘closed’ was held up at the main entrance and attempts were made to stop workers entering, explaining that this was a picket line. The police escorted people in if they made it through the crowd. Those going in got jeered. Many of them then stood on the building above looking out at the demonstration and the electricians spoke to them urging them to join the demonstration.
The Unite officials say a ballot is just days away, but this is a ballot only for the electricians directly-employed by the six firms that are pulling out of the JIB. All electricians will be affected by the proposed changes and the unofficial action and the involvement of agency staff must go on.
The speaker from FRFI emphasised the need to make common cause with the migrant workers, the need to put this in the bigger context of the fight against the cuts and against capitalism. A few people had come down from Occupy London to give solidarity and spoke on the megaphone and after blockading the three entrances for two hours, the demonstration came together and marched to St Paul’s, ending with the sound system on the steps of the cathedral as people emerged from tents to listen to speakers.
