In 2011, electricians (‟Sparks”) across the UK carried out a series of protests and strikes, some of them unauthorised, against de-skilling and pay cuts of up to 35% .

The protests began when several electrical and mechanical construction contractors announced in May 2011 that they would impose new contracts on their workers. In August, they made known that the current contracts would be terminated on December 7, leaving the workers with the option of taking up the new contracts or facing dismissal.
Protests by rank and file union members have shut down building sites across the country. Sites in London have also been blockaded and occupied by workers several times. In February 2012, one of the main contractors, Balfour Beatty, had to back down from its plans to impose the new contracts.

This short film by Reelnews reports on some of these rank and file actions, including a demonstration in London on October 5, during which demonstrators used civil disobedience to resist the police, and a walk-out at Radcliffe-on-Soar power station on October 7.

Several others films on this struggle can be seen on Reelnews website (a dvd is also available).