Power in a union

Today (Thur 13 Feb) Unite Construction and Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council (BWTUC) got together at Battersea Power Station to celebrate the immense union role at the construction site.

The quality and sheer scale of the work is obvious when seeing the riverside project. Converting the former power station into a massive housing project with a destination shopping centre involved thousands of well paid workers over 12 years, and without a single serious accident in a dangerous industry with enormous and deadly hazards to be dealt with daily. 

Activists from Unite London Building Workers Branch, Unite Community South West London and BWTUC gathered with flags and banners as part of TUC’s HeartUnions week to celebrate the union’s role on the Battersea Power Station construction project from 2013 to 2025, where over 4,000 Unite members worked to refurbish and redevelop the huge site.

Declan Murphy was the Unite senior shop steward on the site and now a Unite Construction Officer in London. Declan said “It was an enormous privilege to work as one of the senior shop stewards on this massive, and daunting, project alongside thousands of my fellow union members who redeveloped this huge derelict site and refurbished this landmark building.”

“The levels of skills, qualifications and experience required to undertake the sheer scale of this project safely cannot be underestimated. What visitors can see when they visit the world famous landmark, including the new NEON entertainment and cultural exhibition space, is what can be achieved by developers, construction firms and union organised construction workers working together with dignity and respect.”

“Unite over 12 years delivered well paid jobs and good conditions and a safe workplace for over 4,000 union construction workers. We publicly acknowledge the importance of the positive day to day working relationship with the developer who insisted on the same values from all their construction firms.”

Declan added that Unite wants to continue with this relationship to complete the remaining phases of the project over the coming years, and that respect for workers has been key to successful redevelopment.

Spencer Barnshaw, Secretary of BWTUC, which recently celebrated its 130th anniversary, said “Trades Union members are very proud of the immense and hugely positive role that Unite construction members played in the redevelopment of this huge derelict site and the refurbishment of this world famous landmark.”

“We take our hats off to what they achieved building a positive relationship with the construction firms involved in the project and the Malaysian developers over the last 12 years.”

“The quality and sheer scale of the work involved speaks for itself and is obvious when visiting the site. What is less well known is that a project of this magnitude was delivered without a single serious industrial accident over these years in an inherently dangerous industry with enormous and deadly hazards to be dealt with daily.”

Spencer pointed out that, as well as the thousands of well paid union members working on the site and being treated respectfully by developers and employers, “More than 178 local school leavers were given apprenticeships on the site and they are now fully qualified and well trained in all the construction trades.”

As Declan says; “London would be a better city if other developers and construction firms followed the example of Battersea Power Station developers. What is not to love about the immense role of the union at Battersea Power Station site.”

By Keith Hatch

Photos by Mark Thomas