Wildcat strikes could continue at delayed UK biomass processing plant

Further strikes are set to hit an energy-from-waste and biomass-processing plant in the UK that is still under construction as waste sector workers express frustration about pay, according to ENDS REPORT.
Unsanctioned strike action has occurred at the delayed biomass-processing MGT Teeside facility, an anonymous source informed the publication.
MGT Teeside - or Tees Renewable Energy Plant (TeesREP) - was due to begin operations in July 2018. However, it is still undergoing construction, with the government giving it a subsidy extension until 28 November 2022 under the Low Carbon Contract Company.
Pay rates at TeesREP are covered under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) agreement, according to the source, but they reported there are “bogus company contracts” where some workers are earning £11 per hour more than NAECI rates.
This follows wider strike action that took place across the UK in August as part of a national row over National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) "blue book" pay rates.
Wildcat strikes, where organised labour takes industrial action without following the formal processes, have been organised over private social media groups, and are set to continue, according to the source.
“People are getting pressed and it is having a serious impact, resulting in men walking away,” the source told EWB.
The source also cited “ongoing concerns” about Brexit as a reason for pressure on staff, with the number of workers coming from the EU dwindling.
About £650m has been invested into the site, developed by MGT Teesside in partnership with Korea South-East Power (KOSEP), KDB Daewoo Securities and Eco-Frontier.