Union members at the Sellafield nuclear site in West Cumbria are to vote over whether to take strike action over a long running dispute over specialised pay.
The union Unite is set to ballot around 1,500 construction workers from 36 contractors at Sellafield.
The workers range from electricians, joiners, pipefitters, riggers, groundworkers, welders and painters and other vital construction roles.
The long running dispute is around the employers at Sellafield refusing to resolve requests for additional Sellafield Specific Allowances.
The requested allowances relate to Unite construction members engaging and constructing on advanced technologies projects, the union said.
It said it had asked for the introduction of a nuclear professional allowance for Unite members who are working in a unique environmental at Sellafield but claimed all requests had been refused by the firms which have contracts on the Sellafield site.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members are highly skilled and operate in an extremely challenging and hazardous environment. Despite this construction employers are refusing to pay an allowance for our members’ skills and dedication.”
The union claimed construction workers at Hinkley Point C, AWE, Sizewell C and BAE Systems in Barrow were given a premium.
Unite regional officer Ryan Armstrong added: “Strike action would inevitably result in work at Sellafield grinding to a halt but the employers have brought this dispute on themselves by refusing to negotiate.
“There is still time to avoid strike action but the employers must return to the table with a viable offer.”
The Unite ballot begins tomorrow, Thursday June 12 June and runs until Thursday July 24.
