John Culatto
THIS is the moment thousands of litres of seawater poured down on to terrified workers at Gibraltar’s dry dock.
The employees can be heard screaming as seawater fills the ship repair facility and they are forced to ‘run for their lives.’
Although no-one was hurt in the incident, Unite the Union has demanded a full independent investigation into another ‘near miss’ at Gibdock.
“It is clear from the footage that the incident in question was indeed of a serious nature,” said Unite the Union in a statement.
“The cause for it needs to be fully investigated by an external party of health & safety inspectors,” Unite added.
‘Cover-up’
Upon further investigation the Olive Press has discovered the incident dated back a whole year ago, although very few people knew about it.
“If the footage would have not emerged on social media, the issue would have been covered up, as Gibdock is an employer with a very poor track record on health and safety,” revealed Unite the union.
“We are happy that no injury or loss of life occurred. However, as we recently highlighted at Workers Memorial Day, ‘we must never remain complacent, as every 15 seconds a worker dies world wide’.
“This is in fact a shocking statistic.”
Lack of investment at Gibdock has overshadowed its operation over the years.
The company in question had little to say about the incident.
“The video is from April 2018,” said Gibdock. “It was fully investigated at the time, the outcome of which was further training and an update of the relevant procedure.
“There were no injuries or damage caused. We are confident that this will not happen again.”
Support
Unite’s Christian Duo said: “This incident reminds us of the important role the Unite health and safety rep undertakes in the workplace, highlighting the fact that Gibdock is a non-unionised workplace.
“Unite has well-trained safety reps on many sites and their knowledge and experience in these roles should be appreciated for the benefits they can offer.”
Unite Legal Services, provides specialist legal support to any members who have been injured at work.
“Our legal experts are helping our members to achieve justice and recover the compensation they deserve,” revealed the union. “Our members receive 100 per cent of any compensation recovered.
“Having Unite Legal Services in your corner to call upon is, in itself, a compelling reason to join Unite.”
Unite the Union is the biggest union in all of Europe with more than a million members across the UK and Ireland.
