Sellafield nuclear plant contractors strike

Fellside CHP, right, provides power to the Sellafield plant

Workers at a nuclear site have gone on strike over their employment contracts.

Four 24-hour stoppages are planned by Unite union members working for Cape Industrial Services at Fellside combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Sellafield, Cumbria.

The union said the company had failed to address concerns over the terms and conditions for scaffolders, thermal insulation engineers and labourers.

Cape declined to comment.

Unite regional officer Ryan Armstrong said the firm had been "dragging its feet" for more than eight months.

Knock-on effect

"All our workers want is for Cape management to align workers' terms and conditions to those recommended by NAECI (National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry) and other workers at the plant," he said.

"Vital" preparation work for a major shutdown of Fellside CHP could be affected by continued industrial action, he said.

This could have a knock-on effect on the main Sellafield reprocessing and decommissioning site, to which the plant provides power, he said.

A separate strike over pension changes by Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) staff has been put on hold after an agreement to hold further talks.

On Wednesday union leaders had a "constructive" meeting with energy minister Jesse Norman over plans to reform the pensions of NDA employees to save £660m.