Growing safety concerns

A crunch meeting of shop stewards will be held on Friday (August 14) to discuss future industrial action at Sellafield in Cumbria in the growing campaign to improve health and safety and productivity at the nuclear facility.

Over 1,200 construction workers involved in the decommissioning and renewal project at the site are angry at the refusal by Sellafield Ltd and the group of sub-contractor companies to facilitate a full-time union convenor on the site.

Unite members, working for a total of 14 sub-contractors are in various stages of taking industrial action or being balloted for strike action to address growing health and safety concerns, as well as poor welfare facilities on the construction site.

Staff from four companies – Balfour Beatty Engineering Construction Services; Cape Industrial Services; Jacobs Stobbarts and Mitie Facilities Services – have been involved in some form of industrial action.

They are set to be joined by workers from a further five sub-contractors who have voted by an average of 82 per cent for strike action and by 87 per cent for industrial action short of a strike.

They work for: Focus Scaffolding; Hertel UK; Interservice Industrial Services; Meldrum Ltd and PPS Electrical.

Ballots are being held at five other sub-contractors, including Amec Foster Wheeler; Doosan Babcock; Hargreaves; Nuvia and PC Richardson & Co. The ballots open tomorrow (August 12) and close on Wednesday, August 26.

“The campaign of industrial action is widening and shop stewards from the sub-contracting companies will be meeting at the site at 9am on Friday to hammer out a strategy to put pressure on the sub-contractors and Sellafield Ltd, Unite regional secretary for the north west Mick Whitley explained.

“Sellafield is an important nuclear facility where health and safety and the welfare of workers should be paramount,” he added. “Our experience shows that a full-time union convenor would help ensure a healthier, more productive and profitable workplace.

“Before industrial action steps up a gear, we would urge the management to get around the table for constructive and meaningful talks,” Whitley added. “Unite is prepared to meet the management at any time and any place to resolve this escalating dispute.”