Profits vs pay on underrepair M25

Around 150 M25 maintenance workers, who are members of the Unite union and employed by Balfour Beatty, have voted for strike action over pay.

The workers, who provide maintenance for the entire M25, have angrily rejected a 3.4% pay offer from the construction giant, which amounts to a real terms pay cut, considering RPI inflation remains at 4.9%. According to their union, this is the second year in a row that they have been offered a below-inflation increase.

The news comes just as large sections of the London orbital motorway are due to close for extended periods while vital works are carried out, and the walkouts are likely to cause further disruptions to this extremely busy road. The workers, who operate from depots based at Barnet, Uxbridge, Swanley, Epping and Dartford, were due to announce their strike dates later in March. The company had just announced a pre-tax profit of £261 million for 2023 (up from £244 million the year before) while turnover grew 7.8% to £9.6 billion and the dividend totalled 11.5p per share ( Construction News).

Unite regional officer Phil Silkstone said: “The inconvenience and delays caused by strike action to M25 travellers sits squarely at the door of Balfour Beatty. It has had every opportunity to put forward a reasonable offer but has repeatedly refused."