Sellafield accused of intimidation ahead of firefighters’ strike

The management at Sellafield has been accused of intimidation by the GMB union ahead of the second firefighters strike today. Firefighters working at the nuclear site are walking out between […]

The management at Sellafield has been accused of intimidation by the GMB union ahead of the second firefighters strike today.

Firefighters working at the nuclear site are walking out between 6am and 6.30pm in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

It follows a previous walkout on Tuesday this week.

GMB alleges members have been told their jobs could potentially be outsourced and the firefighters could lose their jobs.

Chris Jukes, GMB Senior Organiser said: “Sellafield management’s campaign of intimidation of workers taking lawful industrial action is not helping negotiations and is making matters significantly worse. It’s disappointing to see such disregard for the vital work firefighters do.”

Sellafield said the safety and security of the site, its workforce and the local community “are always our priorities”.

A spokesperson added: “GMB took an unprecedented step on Tuesday by removing safety cover, which forced us to buy in a like-for-like service from the private sector. With this in place, the site was able to operate more or less as usual.

“We’ve made a reasonable offer to the GMB, which includes increasing the amount our firefighters are paid and backdating that increase, in recognition of the expanding role they play in keeping the site safe. We are disappointed that they rejected our proposal.”

Latest Podcast