PROTESTERS lined the gates  to the £400 million Langage Energy Centre today after  about 60 scaffolders had been  given the sack.

The scaffolders, all employed by  Vange, downed tools on Tuesday  and demonstrated outside the  power station yesterday in  protest over what they CLAIM  are life-threatening health and  safety issues at the site.

It was the second major protest  over health and safety at the site  since August. The scaffolders  who had lost their jobs on Tuesday said that the problems  ‘aren’t getting any better’.

John Gibney, Unite member  who has been appointed to represent the workers, said: “We  walked out on Tuesday over  safety issues.

“As a result we were all dismissed – about 60 of us – because we hadn’t followed procedures by walking out.

“So we decided to put on a peaceful protest yesterday.”

Mr Gibney claimed that there is  ‘unqualified labour’ working on  the project, which the French  firm behind construction on the  site – Alstom – has said is still  on schedule for completion in  spring next year.

He claimed that some workers  were changing the layout of  scaffolding, therefore posing a  health and safety risk.

Mr Gibney said: “We are worried we could end up dead or  injured or crippled. It’s that  bad.

“There have been a few injuries  to our workers over the past few  months already – and Alstom  and Vange need to put a stop to  it.

“If we aren’t given our jobs back  then it will be really hard to find  work at Christmas, but we feel  that strongly about the health  and safety issues and the language barriers with foreign  workers.

“All the workers feel very  strongly about it. We have been  unjustly treated.”

Mr Gibney said that workers  from NSS Scaffolding and SGB  Scaffolding also downed tools  yesterday afternoon and joined  in the protest – and he said  other companies may follow today for some early protests.

He said five Vange workers had  been dismissed over the past  couple of months. He also said  that a delegate from the Unite  trade union was expected at the  site at 10am today (thu) to ‘try to  come to an arrangement’.

He said: “Hopefully we will get  our jobs back.”

Yesterday’s protest over health  and safety wasn’t the first at the  site. About 200 workers went on  strike in August in protest  against the jobs lost by 16 employees of Alstom – and over  health and safety issues.

And last month Gary Streeter,  South West Devon MP, raised  concerns that under-qualified  foreign workers could be endangering health and safety.

But yesterday the workers said  that issues hadn’t been resolved. One scaffolder claimed  that a colleague had been  trapped by a falling piece of steel  just over a week ago, putting  him in hospital.

The scaffolder said: “The worker  was badly injured. We just want  a safe environment.”

Another worker said: “We want  our jobs back on full pay and to  work in a safe place. It’s like a  deathtrap in there at the moment.”

A spokesman for Alstom said  yesterday: “Health and safety  concerns are our highest priority.

“The company is investigating  these claims at the highest level.”

And Kelvin Short, the managing  director of Vange, said he  wouldn’t comment on the matter yesterday.