Unite and USW continue to push for high health and safety
standards at all National Grid worksites.
Dan Fowkes, the leader of the USW safety committee at National
Grid, led a delegation of U.S. trade unionists to a major safety
conference at National Grid in the UK.
This is part of a continuing effort by the Unite and USW to
raise workplace safety standards at National Grid in the U.S. to
the level they’re at in the UK.
National Grid is a UK headquartered company focused on the
distribution of electricity and natural gas. USW and Unite both
have hundreds of members employed by National Grid.
Through previous dialog, USW and Unite representatives
recognized that workers safety standards are higher at National
Grid in the UK than in the U.S. These union representatives
continued to dialog with themselves and the company on how to raise
safety standards in the U.S. to the UK level.
National Grid then agreed to open its annual company/union
safety conference in the UK to U.S. union participation.
Fowkes said he learned about different safety policies and
regulations in the UK, and that knowledge gained during the
conference and UK site visits will be useful in representing USW
members on safety matters.
Unite safety reps and National Grid employees Howard Beynon and
Keith Stephens are playing a lead role in this ongoing effort.
See here for prior news on Workers Uniting collaboration at
National Grid.