Construction company placed in administration after workers given ‘no notice’
Unite the union recently confirmed on Friday 12th of December that it is to hold meetings in Aberdeen and Dundee today following the announcement that the Stewart Milne Group has been placed into administration.
Unite stated this week that it is actively exploring legal action against the Stewart Milne Group due to its failure to consult the workforce or Unite in a redundancy situation as ‘no notice’ was given.
The two meetings to be held on TODAY will take place at:
· 10.30am to 12.30pm – Dundee – Apex Hotel, 1 West Victoria Dock Road, Dundee, DD1 3JP.
· 2.30pm to 5pm – Aberdeen – the Beach Ballroom, Beach Promenade, AB24 5NR.
Members of the press are invited to attend sections of these meetings but some will be reserved exclusively for workers to discuss protective award claims and further legal support. Interviews with workers can be facilitated by Unite officers at the venues upon request.
Unite represents over 60 tradespersons at the construction company in various locations including in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Unite will do everything possible to support the Stewart Milne Group workers. The company has treated its loyal workforce disgracefully.”
The administrator’s Teneo stated that 217 trade roles will be lost but it is feared that hundreds more in the supply chain will lose their jobs. Unite has demanded the Scottish Government and local authorities urgently work with the union to explore how the workers can be found suitable alternative employment on public procurement contracts.
It has since emerged that the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) will be hosting two webinars – one was last Friday at 2pm, and an upcoming one on the 16 January at 10am for employees affected by redundancy.
Unite has criticised the Scottish Government and PACE for this approach stating the hosting of webinars ‘fails to understand the nature of the construction industry’. Unite is highlighting evidence which indicates construction workers face greater reading and writing difficulties, and IT proficiency challenges compared to other workers. The union is therefore demanding public meetings, organised by PACE and the Scottish Government, in the various locations to fully support the workers.
John Clark, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite will be stepping up our efforts to provide legal support for the Stewart Milne Group workers by hosting these meetings in Aberdeen and Dundee. We are crystal clear that the company has acted in a potentially unlawful way, and these events will help our members make protective award claims.”
“It’s also extremely disappointing to discover that PACE will be hosting two webinars instead of physical events. We hope this is immediately reviewed because it fails to understand the nature of the construction industry and the proficiency challenges which many workers face.”
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