Crane company loses two major contracts in strike dispute
Sheffield-based tower crane operator HTC Wolffkran has said it is “disappointed” at union Unite’s decision to ballot its union members on strike action, and has lost two major contracts as a result.
The dispute came to a head following the suspension of pay talks, but HTC is insisting that its pay deal for 2017/18 was the “best in UK industry this year”.
HTC said its 260 crane operators would have received pay increases totalling 19.8% over the last five years if its latest offer had been agreed.
But Unite hit back, saying that HTC director and general manager Dave Holder have refused a private meeting and broke off negotiations.
Dave Holder, HTC Wolffkran’s director general manager, said: “Despite the economic uncertainties of recent years, we have enjoyed high utilisation and rental rates, which have allowed us to perform well.
“This performance has been reflected in the level of remuneration we have passed on to our tower crane operators, whose pay has increased by an average of £7,689.22 since 2013. At the same time, agreed pay awards have also led to a decrease in the average number of hours worked per week.
“Industry commentators have said that our pay award for 2017/18 is not just the best in the tower crane rental sector, but one of the best in UK industry this year,” added Dave Holder. “Therefore, to have it rejected, and be informed by Unite that its members want a 10 per cent increase is both disappointing and more than a little surprising.”
Holder also underlined the risk strike action could have on the future performance of the company.
“Just the prospect of strike action is hampering our performance,” he explained. “We have lost two significant contracts from longstanding customers as a result of it, and I can only imagine what the impact would be should the threat of a strike become a reality and we find ourselves unable to fulfil contractual obligations.”
Jerry Swain, Unite national officer for construction, said: “HTC’s press statement is unnecessarily increasing tensions in a dispute which Unite believes can be resolved without recourse to strike action.
“In order to make real progress HTC Wolffkran need to have a better understanding of how industrial negotiations operate. Our pay claim is based on what we believe the company could and should pay. However we fully understand that to reach an agreement all sides have to find common ground which can only be achieved through talks.
“By breaking off negotiations and then imposing a pay increase without agreement HTC Wolffkran has either by accident or design created this dispute.”
“It is disingenuous to claim workers have received substantial pay rises in recent years when in reality the company was simply returning money that they had cut from workers’ pay.”
HTC Wolffkran employs 386-people in the UK, including its 260 crane operators, and is currently contracted to supply tower cranes and operators to a number of high-profile construction projects including Sheffield’s Retail Quarter, Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium and the Greenwich Peninsula.
Unite’s strike ballot closes on Friday 4 August.
