trade unions – Page 6 – The NEN

Number of workers on universal credit up by 1.3 million since the eve of the pandemic

130% rise in working claimants during the pandemic
Low-income workers facing “perfect storm” this spring unless ministers improve “woefully inadequate” levels of support, warns union body
Cost-of-living crisis already depressing value of UC, TUC analysis reveals
*NEW POLL* shows many families already struggling to make ends meet

The TUC has warned that millions of low-income workers face a “perfect storm” this April with universal credit (UC) falling behind the cost of living as energy bills and taxes rise.

The warning comes as new TUC analysis reveals that the number of workers on UC has increased by 1.3 million since the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The analysis of official statistics shows that over 2.3 million workers were in receipt of UC at the end of 2021, compared to just over one million on the eve of the pandemic in February 2020.

This represents an increase of 130 per cent over the last two years and means 1 in 14 (7.2 per cent) working adults now claim UC.

The TUC says the huge rise in UC recipients has been driven by working households being pushed into financial hardship during Covid, with millions facing a cost-of-living crunch this year.

Basic value of universal credit now lower than at start of pandemic

The TUC says that the basic value of UC is now lower than at the start of the pandemic as a result of UC not keeping up with inflation.

TUC estimates show that the value of UC has fallen by £12 a month in real terms when measured against CPI inflation and £21 a month when measured against RPI inflation compared to just before the pandemic (February 2020).

The TUC says this trend will only get worse in the months ahead with inflation forecast to rise further.

Struggling to cover the basics

The TUC warns that millions of low-paid families face a crunch point in April when energy bills and national insurance contributions go up – at the same time as UC continues to fall in value.

New polling – carried out for the union body before last week’s energy cap announcement and Bank of England forecasts – shows that many are already struggling to make ends meet:

One in eight workers (12 per cent) say they will struggle to afford the basics in the next six months. And a fifth of working people (22 per cent) say they’ll struggle to afford more than the basics.
Low-paid workers are more likely to be struggling. One in six (17 per cent) low-paid workers (those earning less than £15,000 a year) say they will struggle to afford basics in the next six months, and three in 10 (29 per cent) say they’ll struggle to afford more than the basics.

Parents of young children, disabled workers, key workers and BME workers are more likely to be struggling:

Nearly one in five families (18 per cent) with kids under 11 will struggle to afford the basics
Over one in five (21 per cent) disabled workers will struggle to afford the basics, compared to 10 per cent of non-disabled workers
14 per cent of key workers say they’ll struggle to afford the basics in the next six months, compared to 10 per cent of non-key workers
14 per cent of BME workers say they’ll struggle to afford the basics in the next six months, compared to 11 per cent of white workers

The poll also reveals that a fifth of workers (21 per cent) say they have Christmas debts to pay off this year – a number that rises to over a quarter (28 per cent) for workers with children of school age.

Better support needed

The TUC says the government must do far more to help struggling households to get through the months ahead.

The union body says the cost-of-living support announced by the Chancellor on Thursday is “woefully inadequate” and will provide families with just £7 extra a week – most of which will have to be repaid.

The TUC is also calling for UK Government to use the upcoming spring budget to:

Increase to UC to 80 per cent of the real Living Wage.
Introduce a windfall tax on energy companies, using the money to reduce household energy bills
Boost the minimum wage to least £10 an hour now
Work with unions to get pay rising across the economy

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Millions of low-paid workers face a perfect storm this April.

“At the same time as energy prices and national insurance contributions shoot up, universal credit is falling in value.

“The government must do far more to help struggling families get through the tough times ahead. The support package announced by the Chancellor last week is woefully inadequate.

“Universal credit urgently needs boosting and we need further action to reduce fuel costs for those battling to make ends meet.

“Oil and energy companies shouldn’t be making bumper profits, while many struggle to heat their homes.

“If ministers fail to do what is necessary, more households will be pushed below the breadline.”

On the need to boost pay, Frances added: “The best way to give working families long-term financial security is to get pay rising across the economy.

“That means increasing the minimum wage to at least £10 an hour now, and ministers requiring employers to negotiate sector-wide fair pay agreements with unions.”

Can your employer force you back into the office?

There have been reports of people being forced back to workplaces without proper consultation, even as Covid-19 cases remain high, or forced to stay at home due to money-saving office closures (writes TUC’s ALICE ARKWRIGHT). Employers should consult with unions to manage this period positively – rather than issuing directives.

So, what can you do if you feel like you’re being forced to stay at home or go back into the office?

Talk to your colleagues

If your boss is asking you to return to the workplace or stay at home and you don’t feel comfortable, you should speak to other members and your union rep immediately – they may feel the same about the situation.

If you raise the issue collectively with your employer, they’re much more likely to listen. Employers shouldn’t be imposing changes on anyone. You and your colleagues should clearly lay out what you want and why it’s beneficial for both you and your employer.

There’s still limited access to childcare at the moment, so parents and carers may need specific arrangements. Your boss should be working with you and your workmates to understand this.

And suggesting pay cuts for home workers, as we’ve heard in the media, is the last thing employers should be doing. People have shown huge flexibility during the pandemic and worked hard to keep the country going – now is not the time to be making threats.

Brush up on health and safety

There are lots of factors that your employer needs to think about at this time. Primarily, health and safety – is your workplace safe to be in and has your employer considered the mental health impact of returning to the workplace?

This could include feelings of isolation with continued homeworking or anxiety about returning to the workplace. Our latest webinar provides all you need to know on health and safety at work since government restrictions were lifted.

Know your rights

You have certain rights when deciding where to work:

Employment contract

Check your employment contract. You might have a “place of work” included and, it could be a breach of contact if your employer unilaterally imposes a change of location, without consent. This is important if your employer is saying you must work from home permanently.

Safety

The virus hasn’t gone away, and workers will want to know what their employer is doing to keep them safe. It’s a legal requirement for bosses to carry out a workplace risk assessment. Employers must also carry out the actions that come from their risk assessment – this could include continuing with home working where possible.

If you think there is a serious or imminent danger to you or your colleagues, you may have the right to leave work depending on the specific circumstances. The relevant law is Section 44 of the Employment Act 1996 and it covers all employees. More information on your health and safety rights on returning to work can be found here.

And remember, your employer still has a duty to keep you safe when you’re working from home – see our guidance on risk assessments for homeworkers.

Flexible working requests

Under current law, all employees have the right to request flexible working arrangements, this can include a request to change your location either permanently or for part of your working time. Any employee can make a request, you don’t have to be a parent or carer, but you must have been in the job for 26 weeks and you can only make one request per year.

Employers have to review these requests fairly and respond within 3 months. They can turn down requests for ‘business reasons’ – but we’re campaigning for better flexible working rights for everyone.

Reasonable adjustments

Employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to proactively make reasonable adjustments to remove, reduce or prevent any disadvantages that disabled workers face. The law recognises that to secure equality for disabled people, work may need to be structured differently, support given, and barriers removed. This can include working from home.

If you’re a disabled worker and have been working from home successfully during the pandemic, continuing to work from home could be a reasonable adjustment that your employer can provide, should you want it – but bosses must also provide reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

Right to time off in emergencies to look after children

There are huge gaps in childcare provision leaving parents without the support they need to juggle work and care. If your employer has given you short notice to return to the workplace, by law anyone classed as an employee has the right to take time off work to help someone who is dependent on them in an unexpected event.

A dependent includes children but also a partner, someone you live with or a person who relies on you to make care arrangements. If you’re looking at any of these options, talk to your union and they can support you.

Finally, if you’re not in a union, join one.

Unionised workplaces have negotiated for additional access to flexible work and support to manage care that goes way above what you get under the law.

You’re better off in a union – joining a union today

We’re currently running a survey on flexible working – have your say

Sign up to TUC Congress

Congress is open to everyone from Sunday 12 September until Tuesday 14 September. Come and join us!

As we recover from the pandemic, how do we build a world of work that gives everyone the dignity and fairness we deserve?

Every trade unionist is invited to join us online for three days of discovery and debate at Congress 2021.

What to expect

Between Sunday 12 September and Tuesday 14 September, union members across the UK are meeting online to discuss how we build stronger unions and mobilise for a new deal for workers.

We’ll have debates on investing in a green economy, with good unionised jobs. We’ll discuss tackling racism, highlighting the work of the TUC’s Anti-Racism Task Force. And we’ll campaign for an overdue pay rise for our key workers and an end to the scandal of fire and rehire.

We’ll hear from Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, and TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady, as well as union leaders, activists and key workers. A full online fringe events programme offers everyone a deeper chance to engage on issues they care about.

Join us

Congress is open to everyone. We have a growing union movement, based on our work keeping members safe and protecting their rights and livelihoods throughout the crisis.

This is our moment to demand real change for working people.

Join us by signing up today.

And please share with friends and colleagues on Facebook and Twitter using #TUC21

Teaching union welcomes school re-opening plans

Following the announcement from the First Minister on the reopening of Scotland’s schools, EIS Assistant Secretary David Belsey said: “The EIS welcomes the Scottish Government plans for schools to reopen with broadly the same mitigations in place as when they closed earlier this year.

“We agree the continued wearing of facemasks, physical distancing measures, effective ventilation of classrooms and good hygiene regimes need to remain in full force.

“The Scottish Government’s acknowledgement of the importance of strengthening the guidance around ventilation and the additional funding to close any gaps in this provision is extremely welcome and a significant improvement to the current mitigations.

“The completion of vaccination programmes for all school staff is vital and the EIS believes that voluntary vaccination of 12 – 17 year-olds would be sensible and may go some way towards making schools safer places and help to address the anxieties of some young people.

“The six week period of no changes to mitigations will provide a degree of reassurance to school staff and some certainty as to what to expect when returning to classrooms.

“This will also allow for meaningful consultation between Scottish Government, Local Authorities and teachers’ unions before any further changes. The EIS will study the new guidance and seek to address any emerging issues with the Scottish Government and employers.”

Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival goes online this weekend

Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival 2021 goes online!

We are very pleased to announce that the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival 2021 will be hitting your screens again this weekend.

With Covid restrictions still uncertain for large events, together with our unions and sponsors, we are organising yet another packed agenda online.

From Friday 16th – Sunday 18th July 2021, we will be bringing you discussions, debates, radical history lessons, lots of music and all the best of the Festival straight into your living room.

Fans of the Festival will be able to watch freeon our Facebook group, Youtube channel, or right here on our website.

Want to be the first to hear the latest? – make sure to join our vibrant Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival Facebook group!

TUC calls for long Covid to be recognised as a disability to prevent “massive” discrimination

The TUC has called for long Covid to be urgently recognised as a disability and Covid-19 as an occupational disease, to give workers access to legal protections and compensation.

The call comes as the TUC publishes an in-depth report on workers’ experiences of long Covid during the pandemic.

More than 3,500 workers responded to a TUC survey on the impact of long Covid on people’s daily working lives.

The survey reveals that, of those surveyed:

Nearly 3 in 10 (29 per cent) have experienced symptoms lasting longer than a year.
More than 9 in 10 (95 per cent) have been left with ongoing symptoms.
A clear majority had experienced side effects including brain fog (72 per cent), shortness of breath (70 per cent), difficulty concentrating (62 per cent) and memory problems (54 per cent).
Over half (52 per cent) had experienced some form of discrimination or disadvantage due to their condition.

The report highlights how frontline workers have been disproportionately affected by long Covid.

Over three-quarters (79 per cent) of those who responded to the TUC’s survey identify themselves as key workers, with the majority working in either education or health and social care.

More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of respondents were women.

Long Covid in the workplace

The report reveals the extent of discrimination in the workplace towards those with long Covid.

Over half (52 per cent) of respondents said they had experienced some form of discrimination or disadvantage due to their condition.

Workers told the TUC how they were faced with disbelief and suspicion when they disclosed their symptoms:

Around a fifth (19 per cent) said their employer had questioned the impact of their symptoms.
One in eight (13 per cent) faced questions from their employer about whether they had long Covid at all.
One in 20 respondents (5 per cent) said they had been forced out of their jobs altogether because they had long Covid.

Respondents described the difficulties that they faced trying to work while experiencing a range of long Covid symptoms.

One person – who contracted Covid-19 at work – said that when their employer went ahead with an international event in the first wave of the pandemic: “I was still expected to work long hours, handle stressful situations in impossible timeframes, find and fill in forms (which I struggled to do because of cognitive issues), and spend hours on Zoom calls when I struggled to talk and breathe, resulting in extreme chest pain, shortness of breath, exhaustion and severe symptom relapses.”

Respondents were also concerned about what the future might hold for them at work given the amount of sick leave they had been forced to take due to their long Covid symptoms.

Around one in six respondents (18 per cent) said the amount of sick leave they had taken had triggered absence management or HR processes.

New rights and protections for those with long Covid

The TUC is calling for the government to urgently recognise long Covid as a disability under the Equality Act.

The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as a “physical or mental impairment…[that] has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on [their] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. Government guidance makes clear that ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more.

The TUC says that many who have long Covid already meet this criteria and should therefore be protected under the law rather than forced to go through the stress of employment tribunals.

Extending Equality Act 2010 protections so they cover workers with long Covid would ensure employers cannot legally discriminate against them. It would also put a duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments that remove, reduce or prevent any disadvantages workers with long Covid face, as for any other enduring condition or disability.

In addition, the union body is calling on ministers to recognise Covid-19 as an occupational disease – entitling employees and their dependents to protection and compensation if they contracted the virus while working.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Many of the workers who have carried us through the pandemic are now living with debilitating symptoms of long Covid. And we’re beginning to hear troubling stories of a massive wave of discrimination against people with long Covid.

“It’s time to recognise this condition properly – and make sure workers who are living with long Covid get the support they need to do their jobs.

“Long Covid must be recognised as a disability. That would mean workers are protected by the Equality Act, and would have a right to get reasonable adjustments at work.

“And Covid-19 should be designated as an occupational disease. That would allow workers who contracted Covid-19 at work and are living with the consequences to claim the compensation they are due.

“Employers must also act. They should make sure they make reasonable adjustments for workers with long Covid, and complete specific risk assessments to make sure workers with long Covid are safe at work.”

Lesley Macniven, Chair of the Long Covid Support Group, who worked with the TUC on its report, said: “Even those with ‘mild’ Covid can suffer daily with fluctuating symptoms, exhausted and alone. Promises we’ll ‘just get better’ have been proved otherwise.

“A year on we need legally enforceable guidance for employers and government – informed by unions, occupational health and patient groups with significant lived experience managing long Covid.

“Patients need time to convalesce, then recuperate through a very gradual, flexible phased return to work, over months, to achieve a sustainable return.

“Long Covid is disabling young, previously healthy workers. This key step is needed to take the effects of long Covid seriously, enable rehabilitation and protect dedicated workers from discrimination due to poor understanding of the condition.”

Formatted-version-of-Long-Covid-report-v1.3-1 Download

Joint union statement: We demand safety. We demand justice. We demand equality.

As trade unionists, we stand united against the epidemic of male violence. We also stand against the disproportionate threat of male violence faced by women, by Black and migrant communities, by LGBT+ individuals and by disabled people.

Violence against women and girls is rooted in structural inequalities and power imbalances between men and women. Women’s experience of violence is shaped by other factors such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, immigration status and disability. Experiencing intersecting inequalities compounds the threat of violence women face.

Male violence threatens women in all areas of their lives – in our homes, workplaces, and in public and digital spaces. Institutional and systemic failings enable and empower perpetrators and deny women safety and justice.

In the UK:

97 per cent of young women have been sexually harassed
One in two women are sexually harassed in the workplace
80 per cent of women of all ages have been sexually harassed in public
Women who report rape have a less than 4 per cent chance of it ever being heard in court
Three women are killed each week as a result of domestic abuse homicides

Women are not responsible for the actions of men.

We stand with survivors of male violence. With the families of Sarah Everard, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry and countless others who have lost a loved one to violence.

Government must act now to dismantle institutional sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination.

To start that work, we call on Ministers to:

1. Implement a new mandatory duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment at work and ratify ILO Convention No.190

2. Include migrant women within the Domestic Abuse Bill provisions and ensure safe reporting routes for women with insecure migration status

3. Reverse the cuts to public services and ensure all relevant public sector staff receive enhanced training on preventing and responding to violence against women

4. Provide long-term funding commitments to support the provision of vital, life-saving services for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence that meet the level of need, including specialised by-and-for BME, LBT+ and disabled women’s services

5. Draw up a cross-departmental action plan to tackle the structural inequalities experienced by women, Black communities, LGBT+ and disabled people in work, health, education, housing and justice

We demand safety. We demand justice. We demand equality.

Local Government Living Wage for all city council staff

Every employee of the City of Edinburgh Council will earn at least the Scottish Local Government Living Wage (SLGLW) in their base pay from 1 April.

The news was announced by Council Leader Adam McVey at yesterday’s Full Council meeting and follows months of joint working with the Trade Unions to arrive at a simpler, fairer and sustainable pay structure for the organisation.

Consolidating the Scottish Local Government Living Wage means the Council can deliver an increase in pay to nearly 4,500 of its lowest-paid employees, demonstrating progress in its continued efforts to become a Scottish Fair Work employer and work towards eradicating poverty in Edinburgh by 2030.

Since 2013, the Council has topped up pay to meet the Living Wage. By now consolidating the Living Wage into base pay we are making changes to the lower part of the pay structure, which means that 4,400 of employees in grades 1 to 3 will have a pay increase, equivalent to more than £200 extra per year on average for full-time employees.

The new pay structure also reflects the Council’s efforts to incorporate the principles of the Edinburgh 2050 City Vision, which were developed based on residents’ aspirations to build a welcoming, thriving, fair and pioneering Capital city.

Discussions will continue with the Trade Unions on further proposals to simplify pay and related allowances for other employees, to help deliver a fairer, simpler and sustainable pay framework for the future.

Cllr McVey said: “We’re one of the Capital’s largest employers and we want to – and must – lead by example if we’re to help steer Edinburgh towards the fair and equitable future we collectively strive for.

“I’m therefore delighted to confirm our commitment to being a Living Wage employer by announcing that, from 1 April, everyone who works for the Council will earn at least the Scottish Local Government Living Wage as part of their basic pay. This means on average full-time employees in grades 1-3 will have an uplift in their pay of more than £200.

“As a city, we’ve set ourselves the hugely ambitious target of eradicating poverty by 2030 – in fact, we’re the first UK local authority to set such a target. Today’s confirmation of a new simple and fair pay structure proves we’re ‘walking the talk’ on poverty and rewarding our hard-working employees properly for the roles they play in helping to look after this great city and our communities.”

Depute Council Leader Cammy Day said: “I want to say thank you to all the Trade Union representatives who’ve worked so hard on this with our team so that we were able to make this announcement today.

“Our people have been doing an incredible job in exceptionally challenging circumstances during this pandemic so to be able to make sure every single one of our employees will earn at least the SLGLW as part of their basic pay from next month is extremely welcome.

We want to go even further than this, though. That’s why we’ll continue to engage constructively with the Joint Trade Unions towards making positive and lasting change to the organisation on behalf of our colleagues.

“There’s much still to be done to simplify pay and conditions of service and in a way that’s fair, sustainable and, importantly, financially viable.

Speaking before last month’s council budget meeting, Unison City of Edinburgh branch secretary Tom Connolly said: “Staff in local government need to be rewarded and paid well for the jobs that they do, there are many low paid workers in local government providing face to face support to or most vulnerable children and adults, in school, care homes, etc.

“Other council staff keep our public buildings clean, keep our roads clear, clean our streets and empty our bins, administrative and clerical workers dealing with benefits and other essential administrative tasks, all examples of low paid and undervalued workers who have continued to keep the city running.

“These workers now need to be given the value that they have always deserved and rewarded with decent pay and conditions. Clapping does not pay the bills.”

Nurses will earn £2,500 less in real terms than in 2010

New 1% NHS pay offer is “a real terms pay cut” and “hammer blow to morale”, says union body
All key workers deserve a decent pay rise, says TUC

The TUC has released new analysis which shows how major groups of NHS workers will be much worse off in real terms in 2021-22 than in 2010.

The analysis shows that following the government’s decision to offer NHS staff a pay rise of just 1% in 2021-22, nurses’ pay will be down as much as £2,500 in real terms compared to a decade ago.

The picture is bleak for many other NHS staff too:

Porters’ pay will be down by up to £850
Maternity care assistants’ pay will be down by up to £2,100
Paramedics’ pay will be down by up to £3,330

Real terms pay loss since 2010

Occupation	Pay 2010	Pay 2010 in 20-21 prices (CPI)	Agenda for change 2020-21 pay	Pay 2021-22 (1% proposed increase)	Real terms pay loss 2010-2021
Porters	£16,753	£20,383	£19,337	£19,530	-£852
Medical secretaries	£18,577	£22,602	£21,142	£21,353	-£1,249
Nursery Nurse	£21,798	£26,521	£24,157	£24,399	-£2,122
Maternity Care Assistants
Speech and Language Therapy Assistants
Team coordinators
Nurses	£27,534	£33,500	£30,615	£30,921	-£2,579
Community nurses
Radiographer Specialist	£34,189	£41,597	£37,890	£38,269	-£3,328
Paramedic

Source: TUC analysis of NHS Agenda for Change Pay scales

The TUC analysis also reveals that NHS workers across many occupations and pay bands will suffer a real-terms pay cut in 2021-22.

For example, an experienced nurse or midwife (NHS band 5) will a face an annual real-terms pay cut of up to £153 in 2021-22 as a result of the planned 1% increase.

Unions have described the latest pay offer to NHS workers as an insult to their hard work and dedication during the pandemic.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Our brilliant NHS workers have put their lives on their line to get Britain through this pandemic.

“It’s time we cared for them the way they have cared for us.

“That means giving them the decent pay rise they deserve – not a pathetic 1% increase. After years of real-terms pay cuts the government’s latest offer is a hammer blow to staff morale.

“This boils down to political choices. Ministers have chosen to spend hundreds of millions on outsourcing our failed test and trace system and on dodgy PPE contracts. But they have chosen not to find the money to give nurses, paramedics and other NHS workers fair pay.

“Boosting pay for NHS key workers will help our local businesses and high streets recover faster – because their customers will have more cash to spend. And that will help other workers get a pay rise too.”

BACKLASH

Four major unions – the BMA, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives and UNISON – have written an open letter to the Chancellor, expressing their dismay at the 1% pay offer made to health workers.

In the letter they ask him to reconsider the recommendation, made to the NHS pay review bodies yesterday, that NHS staff receive a 1% pay rise.

The letter goes on to say: “The proposal of a 1% pay offer, not announced from the despatch box but smuggled out quietly in the days afterwards, fails the test of both honesty and fails to provide staff who have been on the very frontline of the pandemic the fair pay deal they need.

“Our members are the doctors, nurses, midwives, porters, healthcare assistants and more, already exhausted and distressed,  who are also expected to go on caring for the millions of patients on waiting lists, coping with a huge backlog of treatment as well as caring for those with COVID-19.”

The unions make clear that the Government should demonstrate that it recognises the contribution of the hundreds of thousands of workers who have literally kept the country alive for the past year and call upon the Chancellor to, “make the right choice”.

Read the full letter

A buyer for BiFab … but not Burntisland

Unions welcome announcement but slam Government inaction

Leading strategic infrastructure projects and physical asset lifecycle management company InfraStrata plc, is delighted to announce it has acquired the assets of the Scottish-based offshore energy fabrication company, Burntisland Fabrication (BiFab) Limited. The sites will trade under the Harland & Wolff name.

This highly strategic acquisition of assets and leases spans across two sites in prime Scottish locations with particular regard to renewable, oil & gas and defence projects: Methil on the east coast of Scotland and Arnish on the west coast of Scotland. The BurntIsland site will not form part of the transaction.

Both sites will trade under the Harland & Wolff brand and will represent the final fabrication piece of its UK footprint, positioning the company to fully deliver on its existing strategy quicker than it would have done with only its two existing sites: Harland & Wolff (Belfast) and Harland & Wolff (Appledore).

Methil, the larger of the two sites will be heavily focussed on fabrication for the oil and gas, commercial and renewables markets, whilst Arnish lends itself to multiple opportunities across all Harland & Wolff’s five markets: defence, oil & gas, renewables, commercial and cruise and ferry.

Through this strategic ambition across various geographical locations of the United Kingdom, InfraStrata emphasises its local and cross government support; aligned even closer to the UK Government’s “levelling-up” agenda and the “Green Industrial Revolution”.

The two Scottish sites will work symbiotically alongside Harland & Wolff (Belfast) and Harland & Wolff (Appledore).

John Wood, CEO of InfraStrata, commented: “With this acquisition, we now have a footprint in Scotland, which is the hotbed for major wind farm projects as well as for shipbuilding programmes. We have now positioned ourselves strategically across the UK with four sites capable of servicing our five core markets.

“This acquisition gives us the flexibility to optimise our operations across the Group and offer our clients the ability to fabricate faster and de-risk their exposure by offering multiple sites.

“As we move into larger contracts, it is crucial that we demonstrate the capacity to bid for and deliver on these projects. The acquisition of Bifab’s assets delivers that capability to us and will open up a larger demographic of tender opportunities.

“Finally, I wish to warmly welcome the personnel whom we have taken on at Methil and Arnish and I am confident that we will turn these facilities into highly successful businesses that generate jobs and investment into their local economies in due course.”

Harland & Wolff is a wholly-owned subsidiary of InfraStrata plc (AIM: INFA), a London Stock Exchange-listed firm focused on strategic infrastructure projects and physical asset life-cycle management.

Harland and Wolff (Belfast) is one of Europe’s largest heavy engineering facilities, with deep water access, deep water quayside berths and vast fabrication halls, with the addition of Harland & Wolff (Appledore) the company will be able to capitalise on opportunities at both ends of the market where it has strategic and unique assets that will be much in demand.

In addition to Harland & Wolff, it owns the Islandmagee gas storage project, which is expected to provide 25% of the UK’s natural gas storage capacity and to benefit the Northern Irish economy as a whole when completed. It is anticipated that the gas storage project will bring significant fabrication and construction work to the shipyard during its construction phase.

GMB Scotland and Unite Scotland have welcomed the announcement that two of the three BiFab fabrication yards have been bought out of administration by InfraStrata.

BiFab, which had three fabrication yards in Fife and the Isle of Lewis, went into administration in December last year following the Scottish Government withdrawing previous financial guarantees to support the manufacture of eight turbine jackets for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind project at the yards.

InfraStrata as part of a £850,000 deal has bought the sites at Methil in Fife and Arnish on Lewis. It is understood that InfraStrata, which owns the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, will bring the Scottish sites under the Harland and Wolff name as it attempts to bid for offshore wind projects and shipbuilding contracts.

Unite and GMB have demanded concrete actions by the Scottish and UK Governments to strategically support the offshore wind sector. The trade unions criticised the announcement by the Prime Minister in October 2020 to commit 60 per cent of the turbines to be manufactured in the UK as ‘empty rhetoric’ without a review of the Contracts for Difference (CfD), which should include local content and enforcement clauses.

The trade unions also cited the various powers relating to planning, renewables energy, procurement, the Crown Estate and Marine Scotland which the Scottish Government should be using to exercise greater leverage in the contractual process.

In a joint statement, Unite Scotland Secretary Pat Rafferty and GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said: “The announcement by InfraStrata that two of the BiFab yards will be bought out of administration is welcome news. It is also testimony to our members and their communities who have fought hard to keep these yards alive.

“We look forward to working with the company to ensure it is primed to win contracts for the offshore wind sector, and to having a positive working relationship underpinned by the Fair Work principles. We have always believed that the BiFab yards, and indeed yards and ports all over Scotland, are uniquely placed to capture the benefits of the offshore wind sector.

“However, the story so far has been one of government failure – thousands of jobs and billions of pounds have been outsourced around the world when Scottish communities should have been benefitting from these contracts. Now the Scottish and UK Governments have been given a reprieve and they need to step-up and support the new ownership.

“We urgently need an overhaul of the Contracts for Difference process to ensure local supply clauses are in-built at the outset of major contracts as part of a proper industrial and investment plan for the sector, otherwise the green jobs revolution will remain a fantasy.”