The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has said it is continuing with “positive negotiations” with unions over the construction projects of the London 2012 Games.
Trade unions have been talking to the ODA, the body responsible for overseeing the event, about a range of issues including health and safety, procurement, training, sustainability, and equality and diversity.
A stumbling block has been the issue of direct employment. Construction unions want the majority of labour to be directly employed by contractors involved with the Games.
Failure to use direct employment would result in the excessive use of cheap foreign labour, and lead to increased health and safety risks on site, the unions have warned.
But the ODA has so far failed to guarantee that direct employment will be insisted on in negotiations with contractors.
However, David Higgins, ODA chief executive, said: “We are committed to ensuring high standards of employment and we are currently in positive negotiations with construction unions to finalise a Memorandum of Agreement.
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“The principles have been mostly agreed and we hope the final points will be resolved in the coming weeks. It is our intention that the memorandum will include an agreement on maximising direct employment.”
