The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.62/No.45           December 14, 1998 
 
 
Electricians In London Win Strike Over Safety  

BY CELIA PUGH
LONDON, England - More than 500 electricians employed by Drake and Scull on the London Underground Jubilee line extension (JLE) won their strike November 25 after 10 days of picketing. The action followed the transfer of 12 workers to another site on the 10-mile construction project after they demanded company action on safety at London Bridge station. Sixty workers were left underground during a fire evacuation because of inaudible fire alarms. The Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union (AEEU) members saw this as victimization by their employer who refused to reverse the transfer.

At a mass meeting November 27, AEEU members of the union shop voted to go back to work. They cheered the company agreement to reverse the transfer and return all 12 electricians to London Bridge. Two days earlier Drake and Scull project manager Chris Raven told the London Evening Standard that such a step "clearly is not acceptable to us." At the November 27 meeting, unionists agreed with a 12-point settlement plan negotiated between national AEEU officials and the company. The Evening Standard reported, "Although today's agreement made clear that neither side would claim a victory in the dispute, it meant a dramatic climb down for JLE's principle contractors Drake and Scull."

Union pickets were in a confident mood. Striker Glen Fletcher told the Militant, "We've got what we wanted. We're not going to be pushed around." Commenting on the return to work Fletcher said "There will be more problems until they learn that."

Trade unionists from other workplaces and industries followed the strike and some visited the picket lines in solidarity. Brett Sparkes was one of 11 rail workers employed by South West Trains who came to the picket at Waterloo station. They are members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT). Sparkes told the Militant: "If they [electricians] win, it will show there's no going back. These aren't a load of hotheads. Their fight is about safety and union rights."

Celia Pugh is a member of the AEEU at Prestolite in London, England. Pamela Holmes, also a member of the AEEU, contributed to this article.

 
 
 
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