THOUSANDS of Sellafield workers are being balloted over whether to take a lower pay rise in order to boost terms and conditions for current apprentices.

Members of the site’s main unions – Prospect, GMB and Unite – are being asked by management to choose between one per cent increase or a 0.25 per cent increase. If members agree to take the 0.25 per cent, the firm’s current apprentices and trainees will receive more lucrative terms and conditions at the end of their training.

Steve Gibbons, from Unite, said: “We were in the middle of negotiations – and had rejected the initial offer of one per cent – when the bombshell about the new T&Cs was dropped. It is clear our membership wants to protect young people in the area, and the current workforce is now being asked to do that by taking a lower pay rise.”

Last month, Sellafield Ltd introduced less lucrative terms and conditions for its new starters, including lower salaries and fewer days off, claiming the measures will save around £4million a year and increase productivity.

Mr Gibbons said at that time that apprentices and trainees were being hardest hit by the changes, having started a scheme on the expectation of the receiving the old T&Cs when they became qualified, “only to have the goalposts shifted midway through”. The T&Cs of existing employees were not affected.

When the new T&Cs were imposed, Sellafield Ltd’s chief executive Paul Foster said: “These changes are about fairness – to our workforce, our local community and the UK taxpayer. We have compared these T&Cs with other employers and what we’re offering is still among the best in the marketplace.

“They save £4m every year from now until our mission ends in over 100 years’ time. That is money we would rather spend creating new jobs and focus on our number one priority – reducing the hazards on the site.”

The pay increase would be backdated to April.