CONSTRUCTION workers demonstrated at a £250 million development site in Teesside in north-east England yesterday demanding that bosses pay nationally agreed wage rates.

Sita Sembcorp won a contract to build and run a waste to energy plant for the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority.

But construction unions say the corporation is turning away local workers and bringing in cheaper labour from abroad, undercutting agreed pay rates.

Protesters were joined yesterday by Labour MPs Anna Turley, Andy McDonald, Tom Blenkinsop and Ian Wright.

Construction union Ucatt northern regional secretary Denis Doody said: “The public support from the local MPs is a real shot in the arm for the campaign Sita must now understand that these issues will not go away.”

Unions have been campaigning since the beginning of the year but say that Sita has made it very difficult for representatives to meet the workforce.