construction workers sacked during the building of the new Wembley stadium have been treated abysmally, a union leader said yesterday.

Kevin Curran, general secretary of the GMB, visited the sacked steelworkers, who have been picketing the site since their dismissal last month following a dispute over hours.

He told the men, who worked for Darlington company Cleveland Bridge before being transferred to Dutch contractor Hollandia: "You were brought here to contribute your skills in the construction of Wembley, the country's most prestigious sporting site, a stadium of dreams.

"You arrived here in good faith, some of you from distant homes and families. As a reward for your efforts, you were sacked for no good reason.

"Your lack of protection against your sackings shows clearly the injustice that exists in employment law. The GMB will do all it can to end that injustice."

Multiplex, the Australian-company responsible for the new stadium, said yesterday that it would not hold discussions with the union until the picketing stopped.

A spokesman said: "We have said 'until you lift the picket completely, we won't speak to you'. We are in ongoing discussions with them as to whether the picket is an official picket or not."