Keeping those afloat from going adrift

Unite warned today (March 1) that plans by the London Resort – the Disney style theme park due to be built in the Kent estuary – to house 2,000 construction workers at Tilbury in Essex, requires full consultation with Unite to ensure workers are well treated.

Under the plans, which were revealed by BBC Radio Essex, after completing their shifts the workers would be transported across the Thames to the ships at Tilbury. The construction project is due to begin in 2022.

Unite believes that for the project to be successful, London Resort needs to enter into detailed discussions with Unite about staff concerns. Unite has worries about the quality of workers’ accommodation, the cost of both accommodation and food, and the ability of workers to freely leave the ships and venture out after work into the local area.

Below Unite national officer Jerry Swain talks to BBC Radio Essex about construction workers being housed on the cruise ships. Swain believes the idea could work – with the proviso that workers need to be able to get off the ship and away from work colleagues in their leisure time. He believes it’s important for issues that concern staff be ironed out by the employer discussing these fully with Unite.

HEAR HERE! Unite’s Jerry Swain on BBC Essex

By UNITElive team