Balfour Beatty went to the High Court on Tuesday with an injunction to restrain Unite from proceeding with a strike voted for by 295 staff last week when its members at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES) voted by two to one for strike action.
The judgement in BBES' case to injunct Unite's ballot has now been reserved for hearing until early next week. Unite is urging BBES to use the next few days to return to the table and find a negotiated solution.
Commenting, Unite national officer, Bernard McAulay, said:
“Balfour Beatty’s failure to recognise the strength of feeling among skilled workers is prolonging a long and bitter dispute. We will not bow down to bully boy tactics either in the workplace or the court room.
"This dispute will not be solved by Balfour Beatty’s continued attempts to undermine legitimate strike votes. The only way forward is by Balfour Beatty to actively engage in meaningful negotiations and recognise the importance of the existing collective agreements, which have served the industry well for decades.”
The union warned that BBES has lost the confidence and respect of its long established workforce and is unnecessarily prolonging a long and bitter dispute, describing BBES as “the ringleader of gang of seven breakaway employers who want to tear up the long-standing Joint Industry Boards agreements and impose new semi-skilled grades.”
Ray Moulds, Sales Director at Flood Control International, takes a look at how automated sliding floodgates are supporting secondary containment at water and sewerage company sites.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.