Unite, the UK’s construction union, has successfully secured an agreement that will see all construction workers at the Fawley oil refinery in Hampshire receive bonus payments.
Beginning on 1 September, over 300 Unite members covered by the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) will receive a bonus payment of £1.63 per hour. The agreement comes after Unite members and colleagues from the GMB union staged a series of strikes at the Fawley site late last year.
In a move to maintain harmony and prevent division on the site, Unite has also arranged for the same hourly bonus to be paid to over 100 workers operating under the civil engineering agreement at the refinery. Additionally, eight workers who are not part of either agreement will also receive the payment.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham praised the deal, saying, “The bonus payment deal at Fawley is an excellent example of how Unite’s focus on jobs, pay and conditions is having a direct financial benefit for our members.”
Although the current agreement stipulates that the bonus will be paid for four months until the end of December, Unite representatives are already planning a campaign to extend the payments for a longer period.
Unite regional officer Malcolm Bonnett expressed his gratitude to the union’s representatives and members at Fawley, stating, “This deal would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Unite’s reps and members at Fawley. Unite is determined to build on this deal and to continue to increase its industrial strength on the project.”
