EDF action suspended
UNITE members employed by EDF Energy to undertake Smart meter installations have suspended a planned week-long strike due to start on 19 October, after a company made a “major concession” the union said.
About 70 staff at EDF headquarters at Bexleyhealth, Kent and Canning Town, East London were due to take part in the strike. The dispute related to a number of issues, including working hours, with the company wanting later working and increased Saturday working.
Talks were due to take place at the conciliation service Acas, but Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said that there was already agreement that current working patterns would remain for existing staff until 2017.
This was a “major concession secured by our members taking a united stand” Kasab said. Unite members had voted by a margin of 85% for strike action.
For the time being the employer will rely on new staff and volunteers for the later working and weekends.
Unite said that the dispute was “multi-layered” with other points of contention including the plan by the company to close the Bangor Wharf depot in east London, as a prelude to closing all depots. This would mean meter staff collecting their equipment from special lockers at supermarkets and petrol stations. Other elements in the dispute relate to pay cuts and job losses.