HUNDREDS of Sellafield workers have dramatically walked off site – and will not return to work until Monday.

Employees of 14 construction firms are involved in the impromptu walk-out, which saw contractors fail to return to work following a planned three-and-a-half hour strike on Wednesday. 

The union Unite is representing the workers, which includes those from Focus Scaffolding, PPS Electrical, Hertel, Balfour Beatty, Doosan Babcock and MW Hargreaves. 

Steve Gibbons, a Unite official, said the walk-out decision was due to the “aggressive stance” taken towards picketing strikers today by Cumbria Police.

 He added: “The picketers are legally entitled to be there, and the police opened an extra gate at Sellafield to deliberately filter motorists away from them. The picketers conducted themselves in an appropriate manner but a number were spoken to aggressively by the police and were generally treated badly.” 

A police spokesman responded: “During the course of the morning, a number of people were spoken to and cars obstructing roads were moved when requested by police. This was to allow those travelling to work to enter the site, and to ensure the action had minimal impact on members of the local community travelling in the area. 

“We fully support the right of an individual to take lawful industrial action, however a proportionate and balanced policing response is often required in consideration of those not involved in the action.” 

The original early morning strike was the second of four which had been planned over consecutive weeks. It saw workers picket Sellafield’s main gates, causing tailbacks for motorists. The next planned strikes are on September 16 (5.30am to 9am) and September 23 (all day). Unite’s shop-stewards will meet on Monday - after the contractors have returned to work - to decide what future action will be taken. 

The long-standing row centres on contractors’ health and safety concerns. They are asking for a full-time union convenor on site and their own health and safety committee. However, the National Agreement for the Engineering and Construction Industry (NAECI) group says its current system is successful and has no plans to alter it. 

A Sellafield Ltd spokesman said: “While this unofficial action will have a detrimental effect on construction work at the site, Sellafield remains safe and secure.”

See The Whitehaven News   for the full story.