Unions Calling For Engineering Jobs To Go To UK Workers

Unions are demanding that engineering jobs at power stations in Yorkshire are given to unemployed UK welders rather than employees brought in from the Philippines. Engineering technology firm Doosan Babock plans to employ foreign welders to carry out annual maintenance at the Ferrybridge and Drax power stations in North Yorkshire, a policy which is opposed by UK unions.

Unions want British workers to fill engineering jobs

The GMB union is concerned that the firm plans to go ahead with filling their engineering jobs with non-EU workers despite the job category no longer being on the official UK ‘skills shortages’ list. The GMB has written to Immigration Minister Damian Green and Work and Pensions Minister Ian Duncan Smith to ask for their support.

The GMB also plans to meet with the company to insist that UK workers fill the engineering jobs when the plants shut down this summer for ‘outages’.

UK workers urged to apply for engineering jobs

The union has urged British welders who are unemployed and seeking work to apply for the engineering jobs and they believe that 500 workers from the Humber and Yorkshire had already done so.

The Yorkshire Post reports that ‘Doosan Babcock insisted there was a shortage of ‘high integrity’ welders and said they were looking for as many as 30 extra short-term staff. They said they welcomed applications for the jobs.’

With engineering jobs available at the two power stations, success for the GMB win their talks with the engineering giant could secure a number of positions for UK workers.