A motion has been passed to protect construction workers on the Royal Liverpool Hospital project from being exploited.

The North West Labour conference, 03-04 November, unanimously passed a motion demanding fair treatment of the workforce after construction union, Unite, launched a campaign.

Unite raised concerns about workers after it was confirmed last month that Laing O'Rourke would complete the unfinished project. The new contractor has a reputation of being anti-union.

The motion passed at the conference said: "It would be intolerable if the Royal Liverpool hospital was completed by construction workers who experienced mistreatment and exploitation on the project, whilst operating in an anti-union environment."

Unite regional officer Colin Carr said: "The unanimous support of the entire regional Labour party, is a major fillip in the campaign to ensure justice for construction workers employed on the Royal Liverpool hospital site.

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"Unite is now stepping up its campaign to secure community backing for construction workers, employed on the site, to be treated fairly and decently.

"Given all the problems associated with this project and how the community has joined together to ensure the project is completed, it would be intolerable if the project was completed by workers who were not treated properly.

"Any suggestion that workers will be denied proper access to unions, will tarnish the legacy of the project."

Unite is now calling for:

• National industrial agreements to be adopted and adhered to on the project

• All workers to be directly employed and not falsely self-employed

• Umbrella companies and other forms of exploitative employment models to be barred from the project

• The adoption of the highest levels of health and safety

• Construction unions and their representatives to be given full and fair access to the workplace.

Unite plans to step up its campaign to apply pressure on the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust, to ensure that Laing O'Rourke addresses Unite's concerns.

A meeting with the Trust's chief executive Aidan Kehoe to discuss Unite's concerns has been scheduled for Tuesday 13 November. Unite has also written to Mr Kehoe seeking an urgent tripartite meeting between the Trust, Laing O'Rourke and Unite.

(CM/MH)