I prefer things to be done the right way too.

The government has chosen to ignore certain issues and, of course, all it takes is a recession for things to come to a head. I do have some sympathy with the strikers; it was probably the only way they could get some immediate action. I find it unforgiveable that some members of the government have tried to make this look as though it is a racist issue - which it is not.

Builder and Engineer online outlines Derek Simpson's plan to deal with the situation.

Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite has proposed a three point plan for dealing with the current wave of unoffical strike action taking place across construction sites in the UK. He said: "Unite is proposing a three point plan that the UK government should follow to resolve the wave of unoffical unrest gripping the UK. There needs to be a systematic aproach which deals with the immediate problem of the current unoffical strikes and then addresses the root cause of the discontent. "

1. Resolve the immediate problem that exists at Total's Lindsey oil refinery. Reach an agreement which gives fair consideration for UK labour to work on the contract.

2. Carry out an investigation into the practices of contractors and subcontactors in the engineering and construction industry. Follow by action from the government which will insist that companies applying for contracts on public infrastructure projects, sign up to Corporate Social Responsibility agreeements which commit to fair access for UK Labour.

3. Overturn European legal precedents which allow employers to undercut wages and conditions. A European Court of Justice precedent gives employers a license for 'social dumping' and prevents unions form taking action to prevent the erosion of UK workers' pay and condition.

"The government is failing to grasp the fundamental issues, " he added. "The problem is not workers from other European countries working in the UK, nor is it about foreign contractors winning contracts in the UK. The problem is that employers are excluding UK workers from even applying for work on these contracts."

Point 3. (IMO) should have been done well before now.