UCATT and ODA in Olympic Showdown

Negotiations over employment contracts between the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and construction union Ucatt have come to a stand still as debate rages as how labour should be employed on the 2012 Olympic Games building project.

The union wants the vast majority of labour to be directly employed by contractors involved with the Olympic Games, while the ODA has failed to guarantee this will be insisted on.

Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie told Personnel Today: "We're making it absolutely clear that we cannot accept a position where direct employment is not on the agenda."Ritchie also refused to rule out strike action if the issue was not resolved.

Ritchie claimed promises by the authority on the use of local labour, apprentices and health and safety would be broken if the ODA, as the client, did not insist on direct contracts of employment.

An ODA spokesman said it was finalising an agreement on how the authority and contractors should work with unions on issues including employment practices.