First disorders United Kingdom

Last Wednesday, the surprise work stoppage of a few hundred workers demonstrated in the cold before a Total refinery in eastern England, has worried person. Three days later, the movement has taken an unexpected, causing spontaneous strikes in support of a dozen refineries, gas terminals and power plants throughout the UK. At the point of forcing the government of Gordon Brown to hold a crisis meeting to try to prevent the episode does spread.

This social movement, spontaneous and therefore illegal under the British law, was caused by a contract awarded by Total to the Italian company Irem, accused by the strikers to call on hundreds of Italian and Portuguese workers and exclude the local British workers.

The contract for 200 million pounds ( 225 million) aims to expand the Lindsey refinery, located along the North Sea near the port of Hull, the third installation of the country in terms of capacity. The workers are protesting against the fact that 90 Italians have already arrived on site and that local recruitment is expected. Friday, before the Total refinery, the 1 000 demonstrators carried signs "The British jobs for British workers". A slogan embarrassing for Gordon Brown because he had used those same words in 2007 to promote vocational training plan designed to increase the competitiveness of workers in the country.

These claims of "national preference" have made fly as hundreds of workers across the country decided last weekend to stop working to support their colleagues. Despite the grumbling visible manifestations to the Total refinery took place in a very calm English, without any clash between strikers and police.

Unemployment highest since 1999

This is the first time the government of Gordon Brown faces in social movements since the beginning of the serious economic crisis that has caused a rise in unemployment to 6.1% in December, the highest level since 1999.

Last year, the crisis was mainly financial, with thousands of layoffs in the banks of the City. But since the beginning of the year, the industry is heavily affected by the economic slowdown, and recession is a party to last at least two years.

From where it occurred, the first He denounced these illegal strikes, while indicating that he understood the fears of workers. His position is very uncomfortable, because it can not support workers without calling into question the rules that allow the mobility of workers within the European Union and it can not ignore claims that are echoed in the public opinion.

The Labor MP Jon Cruddas, a former trade unionist very popular within the Labor Party, accused the companies of the sector of public works "to bring many years of workers flexible and inexpensive of the abroad ". He asked the government to "act at European level to stop this endless Employee Cheap."

Meanwhile, several unions have promised that the movement now extends to d other industrial sites, if the government did not intervene.