The union is angry that Bouygues, the French main contractor on the project, has refused to allow UCATT representatives onto the site in Marsham Street, central London.
Brumwell said that the union had information that many of the workers on the project were supplied by a French labour agency, and had been brought in from outside the UK.
He said UCATT representatives have been told that the union was not recognised on the project. "This flies in the face of the government's policy of partnership with the unions," he said.
UCATT will be hoping to ally itself with the T&G to make its case.
Brumwell said that there were many issues that the union was concerned about, such as the extent to which language problems affected the health and safety of the workers, and their general terms and conditions.
"We want to see how the workers are being treated on the project, and we also want to find out what is happening on this government project where it seems British trade unions are being refused access by a French contractor."
The unions have also raised more general concerns about the decision to employ foreign rather than British workers on a government project.
It seems British trade unions are being refused access by a French contractor
George Brumwell, UCATT
Bouygues said it was disappointed by UCATT's comments and added that Brumwell had recently been quoted in the trade press as saying "safety standards on the site are good".
It is understood that Bouygues is importing specialist operatives to handle a concrete formwork system, rather than training domestic labour. The unions point out that this is inconsistent with the government's policy of increasing the craft skills of British workers.
Charles Clarke, the secretary of state for education, recently called on firms to improve the skills of domestic construction workers. He said: "The use of foreign workers is short-term. We should be working with our own people to ensure that the right skills are available."
Bill Tallis, the director of the Major Contractor Group, said the government could require contractors to train workers in basic trade skills but that there was still a need for the specialist skills of foreign workers on projects. He said legal foreign workers should be treated in the same way as any British workers.
"The construction industry is a mobile industry and I don't see any problem with legal foreign workers coming here to solve skills gaps where they are needed," he said.
The Home Office was unavailable for comment.
The Home Office headquarters replaces tower blocks known as the "Three Ugly Sisters", which housed the Department of the Environment.
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