A series of protests are being held outside a £212 million hospital project in the south of Scotland.

Laing O'Rourke is delivering the NHS Scotland scheme in Dumfries and completion is scheduled for December 2017.

However, Ucatt has started staging demonstrations outside the development site after it claimed the contractor is refusing the union access to the site.

The organisation said staff have "tried on several occasions" to gain access to the project, however officials have not been allowed proper access and all communications have been completely ignored by management.

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Ucatt Scotland Regional Secretary, Steve Dillon, said: "The Scottish Government must take a stand against contractors feeding off public money but not prepared to engage with the workers' representative, the union. It is vital that the Fair Work Convention takes a proper look at problems and acts to stop them occurring.

"This contractor, Laing O'Rourke, should never have got the contract in the first place. This is an aggressive, anti-worker, union-busting contractor that has no right to benefit from the public purse. We will be directly challenging Laing O'Rourke every time they undertake these practices in Scotland."

(LM/JP)