Suspended spark wins a victory

Jason Poulter, a Unite union health and safety rep who had been suspended from work for six weeks, has been reinstated.

The victory follows a rank and file electricians’ protest that saw 600 workers walk out at the Ratcliffe on Soar power station in Nottinghamshire last Tuesday.

Bosses at Spie Matthew Hall, the firm that employs Jason, initially offered to withdraw disciplinary charges if he agreed to be transferred off the site.

Jason rejected this—and the prospect of another protest this Thursday saw the bosses back down.

Jason had been accused of bullying after he ordered a fellow worker not to attempt to stop a mechanical saw—with his hand. Activists believe bosses wanted revenge for the electricians’ strikes earlier this year.