Sellafield firefighters to strike over pay dispute

Last month members of the GMB union, which represents the firefighters, met with senior management at Sellafield to hammer out a new deal over pay.

The talks were reconvened on Wednesday (5 July), but GMB said discussions lasted just 30 minutes.

GMB senior organiser Chris Jukes said: “The fact that it has taken several years to get to the point where firefighters will now strike confirms this is a measure of last resort.

“Members are so angry they have given a mandate for the earliest possible strike date later this month, the first time ever that Sellafield’s highly-trained firefighter service have gone on strike.”

The union said its strike committee would now decide on a date for the first strike, but added that it remained available to meet Sellafield management with a view to a fair resolution.

A spokesman for Sellafield told the BBC the facility was “carefully considering” its position, adding: “In the meantime the Sellafield site continues to operate safely and securely, as normal.”