Sellafield catering and security staff join strike action

GMB members have already staged industrial action in the row over pay

Catering and security workers at the Sellafield nuclear site are to go on strike in a pay dispute.

About 300 members of the GMB union employed by contractor Mitie will walk out for 24 hours on 29 November.

Up to 3,000 other GMB workers at the site will strike at the same time in a separate pay row.

Sellafield Ltd said it was not involved in the dispute. Mitie said it was committed to ensuring safe continuity of services during the strike.

The Mitie staff are striking over an imposed 2% pay increase, while other Sellafield employees are in a separate dispute over a 1.5% pay rise.

'Eye-watering amounts'

GMB senior organiser Chris Jukes said its members working for Mitie did "vital jobs that may not be seen by everyone in management as exciting or important, but the site cannot function effectively and safely without them".

"It is highly regrettable that neither Mitie nor Sellafield management properly value the work GMB members are doing, forcing them to resort to strike action to get fair treatment," he said.

"GMB members working for Mitie see eye-watering amounts of money paid to Sellafield Ltd executives who then package up contracts to be provided by companies like Mitie with pay rates of £7.65 per hour."

A Mitie spokesperson said: "Our team provide important services at the Sellafield everyday and we recognise the contribution they make at the site.

"We are actively engaged with GMB."

The Unite union is also in dispute with Sellafield over pay, with hundreds of workers taking industrial action.

A Sellafield Ltd statement said the dispute was "between Mitie and their employees and is unrelated to industrial action by Sellafield Ltd employees".