HUNDREDS of construction workers will protest against a “race to the bottom” at a construction site in Wales next week where they are paid far below the industry standard.

Unite members and their supporters will be protesting outside energy-to-waste facility Parc Adfer in Deeside on Wednesday May 30 due to ongoing exploitation of the site’s workforce.

The protest is to pile further pressure on French industrial engineering contractor CNIM to adhere to nationally recognised construction industry agreements on pay.

At Parc Adfer, which saw protests in April over pay and workplace injustice, mechanical engineering workers are getting paid as little as £8.75 an hour.

This means that workers are potentially receiving 63 per cent below the agreed construction standard of £17.39.

Beyond this, Unite believes that CNIM and US waste company Wheelabrator are undermining safety, welfare provisions, training and have failed to consider the local community in their recruitment strategy.

The union also poured scorn on the fact that this exploitation is being funded by the taxpayer, since several county councils across north Wales are in charge of the project.

Unite regional officer Steve Benson found it “appalling” that workers were being “exploited through low pay on a project ultimately funded by the taxpayer.

“Unite has been working to resolve the exploitation on the site but we have been met with warm words and no action,” he said.

“By failing to comply with the correct industrial agreements, the companies are undermining pay rates across the entire industry.”

Mr Benson urged local authorities to stop “pretending to look the other way” and urged them to take responsibility for the “misery” being created on the site.

Marcus Barnett is Morning Star industrial reporter.