National Grid in talks to avert walkout by workers

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

National Grid is meeting union chiefs today in a last-ditch attempt to stop hundreds of electricity workers walking out during one of the coldest winters on record.

If a strike or overtime ban by workers from the transmission business went ahead, the network could become vulnerable to power failures.

The business has been operating flat out during the recent cold spell to maintain electricity supply in parts of the country where heavy snow has brought down power lines.

Unite, the UK’s largest union, has balloted its members on whether to strike over a change to terms and conditions that would create a two-tier workforce.

While there is support for industrial action within the union, management is hoping that it can avoid that outcome with the last-minute negotiations.

“National Grid cannot confirm any planned meetings between it and the unions, but the company has always said that it is keen to resolve this issue through negotiation,” a spokesman said. “As you’d expect, the company has, of course, taken steps to ensure that any possible industrial action does not have any impact on gas and electricity supplies to consumers or on the safe operation of its networks.”

Talks between the company and Unite have been under way since April after the company said that it wanted to remove health cover and reduce holiday entitlements for new starters. A proposed 1 per cent increase in pay is also behind the dispute.

“In real terms, with the comparative Retail Prices Index at -1.4 per cent at the settlement date of July 2009, the offer amounts to 2.4 per cent above inflation, plus a lump sum equal to about £350 for each employee,” National Grid said.

Unions have said that they would work with management to cover emergency cases and protect vulnerable people.

This story was featured on The Times website.

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