Sellafield strike: 3,000 nuclear plant workers to walk out over pay dispute, says GMB union

GMB Workers at the Cumbria-based Sellafield site are striking for a second time after pay talks failed this week

GMB has assured the company that minimum safety manning levels will be maintained during the strike (Getty)

Around 3,000 workers at nuclear site Sellafield plan to walk out over a dispute surrounding pay, the GMB union has said.

The 24-hour strike at the Cumbria-based plant will mark the second walk-out by the GMB workers since the dispute over compensation kicked off in July.

Separately on Wednesday, around 1,000 Unite union workers were on strike.

Workers are striking over an imposed 1.5 per cent pay increase, which the GMB union has criticised for being below the RPI rate of inflation.

Talks between the union and Sellafield management over the last week failed to produce a potential settlement.

GMB said it had assured the company that minimum safety manning levels will be maintained during the strike and emergency arrangements were in place to ensure that the workforce and local communities are safe.

Chris Jukes, GMB senior organiser, said that the below-inflation pay rise had “backed GMB members into a corner”.

"Our members do not want to strike again but Sellafield seem incapable of delivering what is discussed in talks.

"GMB members are seeking a decent pay increase that makes up for some of the ground they have lost over recent years, when pay rises have failed as a whole to keep up with inflation.”

A spokesperson for Sellafield said: “The safety and security of the Sellafield site are our priorities during any industrial action. As always, we will work with other agencies to try to minimise disruption for the public.”

Sellafield employs around 10,000 people.