News: Closure date for remaining Rotherham Wilko store

The administrators of discount retailer, wilko, have confirmed when its remaining store in Rotherham will close.

The British high-street retail chain was founded in 1930 sells homeware and household goods. The group, with headquarters in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, had 400 stores across the UK and approximately 12,500 employees.

Jane Steer, Zelf Hussain and Edward Williams of PwC were appointed as Joint Administrators of Wilkinson Hardware Stores Ltd, wilko Ltd and wilko.com Ltd after it was hit by incredibly challenging trading conditions, both throughout the pandemic and more recently as it has felt the impact of the cost of living crisis, resulting in increasing cashflow pressure and a deterioration in trading.

With administrators investigating a potential sale, an offer being explored for the sale of hundreds of stores as a going concern fell through, leading to their closure being confirmed.

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The 20,000 sq ft wilko store at Parkgate Shopping is set to have its last day of trade on October 8.

It follows on from the store at Cortonwood Shopping Park, which is in the Rotherham borough, which closed on September 14.

Rival retailer B&M is reported to be acquiring 51 former wilko store premises and Poundland owner Pepco is set to take on the leases of up to 71 stores. The Rotherham stores are not on the list of those taken on by Poundland, and the B&M deal has not yet been detailed further.

The Range agreed a deal to buy the Wilko brand, website and intellectual property.

Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said: “Wilko should have thrived in a bargain retail sector that is otherwise strong, but it was run into the ground by the business owners.

“Money was siphoned out of the business for dividends, warnings about what needed to be done to save the business were not heeded and advice around what the business to do to thrive was not listened to.

“No worker caused the downfall of Wilko. But they will be the ones who will suffer – all as the owners get off scot-free. GMB will not stop campaigning for the owners of this debacle to be held to account.”

Rothbiz revealed in 2014 that wilko was set to take a large unit that was vacated by electrical retailer, Comet at Parkgate Shopping. At the time, an agreement was reached with Rotherham Council and the retailer that would see the town centre store staying open for at least five years if plans for Parkgate were approved.

In 2022, even before giong into administration, the wilko on Corporation Street closed down. To aid town centre regeneration, Rotherham Council acquired the empty unit and the area has been earmarked as the potential location for a new theatre.

Images: Google Maps

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News: Unions demonstrate at Rotherham construction site

The Danish company behind the design, manufacture and operation of the new £150m biomass power plant in Rotherham has been accused of undercutting the pay rates of UK construction workers by leading unions.

A plant that will generate heat and power from carbon-neutral renewable wood pellet fuel is currently being constructed at the Firth Rixson Ickles Works at Templeborough where land and disused buildings where purchased in March 2011.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners acquired 100% of the project that was brought forward by the Brite Partnership and a joint venture between Interserve, the international support services and construction group, and Babcock & Wilcox Vølund was awarded the contracts to work on the project.

Construction unions Unite and GMB are holding a demonstration at the site today, claiming that workers are being paid up to 61% below agreed industry rates, with some workers being paid just the minimum wage and financing their own accommodation and travel. A similar protest took place last year.

Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S, the Danish subsidiary of the giant US Babcock & Wilcox Company, will operate the biomass power plant. Interserve is constructing the plant.

Babcock & Wilcox Vølund sub-contracts large chunks of their work to Croatian company Duro Dakovic which pays workers as little as the minimum wage of £7.50 an hour. The industry agreement (NAECI) has a basic rate of £16.97 an hour with an hourly bonus of £2.37 an hour.

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Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is the investment arm of Pension Denmark and GMB and Unite held a protest outside the offices earlier this week to draw attention to the ongoing exploitation and undercutting that it is financing.

The Danish government has clear policies in place, due to the way it has interpreted the Posted Workers Directive, which prevents these forms of undercutting and exploitation occurring in Denmark. However this does not legally prevent Danish companies from exploiting workers when they operate abroad.

Phil Whitehurst, GMB National Officer for Construction, said: "These engineering, procurement and Construction (EPC) management companies, funded primarily by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners - the investment arm of Pensions Denmark, have maintained they will not support any form of undercutting or exploitation by their supply chain.

"We have presented evidence to them highlighting exploitation and social dumping practices that, if carried out in Denmark, would carry a custodial sentence.

"We have endeavoured to negotiate with the construction companies responsible, but they refuse to sign up to national agreements in the UK, such as NAECI, which would put everyone on a level playing field.

"They appear to be worried the audit system would expose allegedly corrupt practices of exploitation and social dumping."

Bernard McAulay, Unite national officer for construction, added: "Construction workers are angry that Danish companies are exploiting workers and undercutting pay rates, to boost their profits.

"This exploitation cannot be allowed to go unchallenged; it is vital that workers and the general public know what companies are trying to get away with on major projects and ensure their misdeeds are brought to account.

"Unite will leave no stone unturned in our fight to end exploitation and undercutting. Companies involved in these practices need to appreciate that there will be no hiding place."

Templeborough Biomass Power Plant website

Images: GMB / twitter

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News: Unions protest at Rotherham construction site

Engineering construction workers are protesting at a site in Rotherham today over "unscrupulous" construction companies they say are exploiting workers.

GMB members in engineering construction are holding three separate protest demonstrations in Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire against undercutting of workers on three energy from waste power station construction sites.

Construction began last year on the £150m biomass-fired power plant project at Templeborough where Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S, the Danish subsidiary of the giant US Babcock & Wilcox Company, will design, manufacture and operate the plant, with Interserve responsible for its construction.

The GMB Union claims that skilled workers on the site are being paid about £7 per hour and that the subsidiary has declined to follow National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) which covers infrastructure like power stations, oil refineries and transport installations. Under that agreement the rate for skilled workers is £16.64 per hour.

Under the EU Posted Workers Directive contractors employing labour from third countries are obliged to follow sector agreements like the NAECI agreement but increasingly employers are ignoring this legal requirement.

Bob McNeill, GMB Regional organiser, said: "GMB members have negotiated and honoured the Terms and Conditions of our National Agreement (NAECI) for decades and I support our members’ campaign for the National Agreement to be fully implemented on the Rotherham site.

"Interserve and Babcock Wilcox VØlund are undermining our agreement by exploiting non UK workers and paying inferior terms and conditions. This is nothing other than social dumping."

Phil Whitehurst, GMB national officer for engineering construction, added: "GMB members in the Engineering Construction Sector are being debarred from employment on energy from waste (EfW) facilities being built around the UK.

"Unscrupulous construction companies using spurious umbrella companies exploit non UK workers at rates of pay as low as £7 per hour rather than paying £16.64 per hour which is the applicable rate through direct employment and utilising UK collective agreements."

GMB and Unite intend to launch a major campaign to raise the profile of the issues.

Unite and UCATT Unions area also taking part in the protest and are also calling on the contractors to guarantee that workers on the projects will be employed directly to stop workers being exploited by bogus self-employment schemes run by sub-contractors, employment agencies and "umbrella" payment companies. Babcock & Wilcox Vølund awarded the Croatian company Ðuro Ðavokic the contract to manufacture and install the main boilers for all three energy plants.

GMB Union website

Images: Sky Filming / Facebook

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