As Teesside gears up for major construction projects in the coming months and years, Anna Turley, Labour and Co-operative candidate for Redcar, has announced her commitment to making sure the local community benefits.
Anna has pledged that no new construction project on Teesside will get her support unless it:
1 – Pays the Rate (uses the nationally recognised Blue Book NAECI agreement)
2 – Hires at least 75% labour from the Tees Valley and prioritises local businesses in its supply chain
3 – Allows trade union access to the workplace
She also pledged that if re-elected as the MP for Redcar she would:
4 – Campaign to change the law to scrap umbrella companies
5 – Work to make Teesside an area of excellence for high quality skills training and apprenticeships
Anna said:
“We have lots of exciting projects in the pipeline on Teesside, including the MGT Power project at Teesport, Sirius Minerals’ potash mine and the future regeneration of the former SSI site.
“However, for too long companies have come to Teesside and built big construction projects without abiding by nationally agreed (Blue Book) terms and conditions. They have too often relied on labour from abroad and undermined British terms and conditions. It is not right that local people are not able to benefit from the new projects on their doorstep.
“I recently visited the MGT construction site, a huge investment in Teesside and a real statement of confidence in our area and our people. I am really pleased to see MGT have made a firm commitment to use local labour and local supply chain businesses and have signed an agreement with the trade unions to pay national Blue Book (NAECI) rates.
“I am absolutely clear that these are the kind of commitments to local people I want to see from all major projects in our area.”
Anna’s pledges have won the support of the GMB union, who said:
“The GMB welcomes the pledges by Anna Turley regarding new construction projects in the Redcar Constituency. The comments are positive from a prospective candidate seeking that the local community benefits from employment and business opportunities from new construction investments. Anna’s initiative should be adopted by all prospective candidates as they incorporate concerns expressed by the British electorate emanating from the Brexit vote.”