Redundancy plans at nuclear weapons factories

The Atomic Weapons Establishment is the only maker of nuclear warheads in Britain

Between 400 and 500 roles will be made redundant under new proposals for the factories that make the UK's Trident nuclear warheads.

The government said overall headcount at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) sites in Aldermaston and Burghfield, Berkshire, would remain the same but that its workforce needed to be "reshaped" to ensure it was "fit for the future".

But Prospect union criticised the plans and said it was "no way to treat the people who maintain our nuclear deterrent".

"We still don't have all the details of what is proposed but if things continue as they are we will use every lever at our disposal to oppose this," said Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy.

He added: "There are correct ways to go about a redundancy process and there are incorrect ways – AWE's approach so far has been a masterclass in the latter.

"People are never going to be happy about being put at risk of redundancy but if you treat them like adults and properly engage their union there is a chance that they will understand and that a least-bad way forward can be found."

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: "The overall headcount will not reduce as we continue to hire into different roles as we adapt for the future, with the significant investment this Parliament securing a 9,500-strong workforce at AWE.

"We appreciate this proposal will worry staff and AWE is committed to working closely with trade unions and is keeping its staff fully informed while working through this process."

It added that its commitment to the nuclear deterrent was "absolute" and a "landmark" £15bn was being invested into its nuclear warhead programme.