Activists scale building site cranes as King’s Cross row deepens

PROTESTERS took over two cranes at the massive King’s Cross redevelopment site on Monday as a bitter row over union recognition raged with contractors.
Activists from the Wombles – a green group linked with squatters who were evicted from an empty Tufnell Park bar in August – sneaked onto the site at 3am and scaled cranes, hoisting banners urging ‘Workers’ Solidarity’ and claiming ‘Laing O’Rourke exploits workers’. The protest was designed to shut down the site and put pressure on Laing O’Rourke to improve the terms of new contracts it is offering construction workers at the site.
But work continued around the group of four, who were arrested when they eventually came down 15 hours later at 6pm.
A spokesman for the Wombles said the decision to carry on working around the protesters was “a breach of health and safety regulations”, but site managers insisted they were not at any risk.
Workers have twice staged sit-in protests at the site canteen over the last month in bids to get negotiators from the GMB union on site.
They say their basic pay will be cut from around £15 an hour to £8, with extra bonuses failing to make up the shortfall.
Workmen approached New Journal reporters at the site to complain about the new deal.
One said: “They are bringing in non-unionised workers from eastern Europe to save money, but lots of them can’t speak English which has been a real safety risk.”
The Wombles claim Laing O’Rourke is trying to cut costs after residents complained about noise and the government stopped contractors from working around the clock. The protesters were released on police bail. A spokesman for Laing O’Rourke said: “Protesters have illegally entered the CTRL site.
“They are not employed by Laing O'Rourke nor do they have the support of the construction unions.
“Efforts were made by the relevant authorities to arrange a managed, safe removal from the site.”