Protest over Keadby 2 power station 'overseas' workforce

More than 100 protesters gathered at the Keadby 2 site in North Lincolnshire

Workers have staged a protest outside a power station near Scunthorpe over plans by an engineering giant to employ overseas contractors.

Siemens is building a plant for energy firm SSE at the Keadby 2 site in North Lincolnshire.

It has sub-contracted boiler work to a Spanish company, which it said had agreed to use UK-based workers.

But the GMB union said Babcock Montajes wanted to bring "120 of its core workforce, contrary to the agreement".

SSE said it was "supporting local jobs, both on site and through the local supply chain".

Protester Stephen Richards said: "It's a demonstration against non-UK workers taking UK lads' jobs.

"We've got [a] highly-skilled and a highly-motivated workforce from around this area that have been made unemployed by Ferrybridge and Eggborough [power stations] being closed.

"They're waiting to get on to this job. Their CVs have gone in and yet they're being denied employment."

The new £350m power station is being built next to an existing gas-fired plant

GMB organiser Shaune Clarkson said the union was very concerned the sub-contractor would be bringing of its own workers from Spain "while local skilled members stand idle".

Wesley Tivnen, from Siemens, said no UK company had "put forward a final proposal" for the boiler contract despite 83% of subcontracts for other work being awarded to British firms.

"However, Babcock Montajes has agreed that a proportion of its workforce will be from the UK, with the remainder from Spain. Work will begin in the new year."

He said talks would continue with unions on "what skills will be needed to deliver the remaining work on the project".

The new £350m power station is being built alongside an existing facility near Scunthorpe.

SSE said the new station would be "the cleanest and most-efficient gas-fired power station in Europe, displacing less efficient plant from the system, complementing our renewable assets, and safeguarding customers' power supplies."