Thus far, everything has seemingly been running smoothly with Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
Its construction remains firmly on course, and it seems that with each passing week there is a new significant development that gets fans clamouring.
However, things had always seemed too good to be true, as a construction slowly growing amidst all the turmoil.
Well, this latest report now seems to detail this latest setback, with work reportedly halting as electricians walked off-site.
But, what is the dispute which has finally put a spanner in the works of this magnificent structure? Could it affect any future construction or even the move-in date? We take a closer look…
What’s the latest on Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock stadium?
Detailed by the Liverpool ECHO, they offer the latest exclusive on this reported pay dispute regarding the electrician’s overtime.
They write: ‘Electricians working on the Bramley Moore Dock stadium site walked off site yesterday “after working their legal hours” due to what they said were issues over pay and working overtime.
‘Several electricians working on the new Everton FC stadium contacted the ECHO yesterday, Wednesday, January 24 and claimed around 150 members of staff had walked off the site at 3.30pm. One electrician, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed this was due to issues with pay and not being paid for working overtime.’
They would then interview the electrician in question, who revealed: ‘We are the most skilled trade on the site, but are paid the least. We want to see a fair uplift in our pay. A substantial number of colleagues walked off the site today.
‘We are local, skilled tradesmen. We just want to support our families. We are giving our blood and guts for the stadium site.’
This comes years after an initial union dispute with Laing O’Rourke, despite this current grievance having been ongoing for weeks without official union representation.
Could this affect the Everton move-in date?
It’s fair to say that the electricians are pretty important when it comes to stadium construction.
As such, things will grind to a long and gruelling halt if a solution is not found soon.
Fortunately, plans were revealed not too long ago revealing that the official Goodison Park departure date would not be until the end of the 2024/25 campaign rather than a mid-season move.
As such, it would have to be a pretty dramatic and long-lasting dispute to see work stopped for so long as to delay a late 2024 finish by six months or more.
Hopefully an agreement can be reached soon that benefits all parties, but if the electricians are owed more money then they likely should be paid it.
Fans will just want whatever solution is needed to see progress continue in the same vein.
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