Thousands of nuclear workers in Britain to vote on strike action in row over pension cuts
Around 16,000 members of several trade unions, mainly involved in decommissioning work, will vote in the coming weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action
THOUSANDS of nuclear workers are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pensions, unions have announced.
Around 16,000 members of several trade unions, mainly involved in decommissioning work, will vote in the coming weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action.
The joint unions said it will draw up the timetable for the ballot with the first strike day expected in February or March.
The unions are protesting at plans by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to make savings of £660 million.
The workers are based at Sellafield (Cumbria), Magnox (Anglesey), Ayrshire, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Gwynedd, Kent, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Direct Rail Services (Cumbria), Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (Caithness), Low Level Waste Repository (Cumbria) and International Nuclear Services (Cumbria, Warrington).
The unions said the Government's expectation is that the final salary pension schemes in place across the NDA estate will be reformed by April 2018.
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Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB, said: "Nuclear workers have played their part in keeping the country's lights on for decades.
"Senior representatives were unanimous that if this Government is determined to break its promises and is not prepared to negotiate, there is no alternative but to ballot members to take strike action.
"GMB remains committed to resolving these issues amicably and available for meaningful talks should the Government want to pull back from this shocking episode of broken promises to workers in the nuclear industry."
A Nuclear Decommissioning Authority spokesman said last week: "Government policy is that all public sector final salary pensions schemes should be reformed by 2018, and four million public sector workers have already moved to new pension arrangements.
"Specific decisions on how to change the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's estate pension schemes have yet to be taken. We expect to begin formal consultation on 9 January 2017."
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