Wolffkran crane strikes: utilisation, project slowdown and risks for UK contractors
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Around 100 Wolffkran UK tower crane operators have begun strike action as the Construction Plant-hire Association blames Labour government tax and regulatory policy for creating a “perfect storm” of weak demand and rising costs. Glenigan data show project starts down about 20% in 2025, civil engineering activity down 56% year-on-year, and main contract awards down 11%, with Gateway 2 delays further stalling high-rise residential work. Wolffkran reports crane utilisation down 26% since 2016, cranes on hire down ~40%, and rental rates cut 20–25%, leaving minimal margin for wage increases.
Technical Brief
- Around 100 Wolffkran UK tower crane operators have commenced a coordinated series of strike actions.
- CPA links the dispute directly to reduced workloads combined with sharply higher employment on-costs for operators.
- Employers report prolonged low-demand periods through 2025 as delayed 2024–25 projects failed to restart.
- Regulatory uncertainty and Gateway 2 handling by the Building Safety Regulator are cited as stalling high-rise starts.
- CPA notes sharp increases in employer national insurance and minimum wage coinciding with the construction downturn.
- Subdued workload has created crane oversupply, enabling clients to push down daily and weekly hire rates.
Our Take
The related Wolffkran strike pieces in our database indicate that these 100 operators are concentrated on major UK schemes, so a 40% drop in cranes on hire and 26% fall in utilisation suggests spare capacity is already high and disruption risk is more about programme timing than absolute lifting availability.
With Glenigan data pointing to a 20% fall in project starts in 2025 and a 56% year‑on‑year drop in civil engineering activity, crane‑reliant contractors in the UK are likely to face sharper competition for fewer tower crane slots on viable schemes, which can harden commercial terms and risk‑transfer onto subcontract plant hirers.
Across our 560 Infrastructure stories, the UK crane and plant‑hire segment around Wolffkran and the CPA stands out as one of the few where both utilisation and rental rates are falling simultaneously, signalling that any Labour‑driven housing push to 1.5 million homes would need to reverse a multi‑year erosion in crane day‑rates to stabilise the supply chain.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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