By David Siddall

Last updated 15:53, Wednesday, 30 April 2008

SELLAFIELD Ltd has denied that the head of their pay negotiating team had been briefing middle managers that there would be a ‘lock out’ if workers took industrial action over the two per cent pay issue.

Peter Clements, site convenor for the Prospect union, said this week: “I have been told that Paul Foster, head of the negotiating team, has been briefing and claiming our ballots are illegal. And he has allegedly been saying that if we took action short of a strike he would have everyone out of the gates, in other words a lock-out.

“That has safety implications. We as unions always hold safety of the site and wider community as the highest priority.”

But a spokesman for Sellafield Ltd said: “Following some confusion in union campaign literature that neither aspects of the pay offer were guaranteed, limited discussions with employees have taken place to clarify that the company’s offer of a two per cent pay award is guaranteed, and not dependent on efficiencies.

“The opportunity was also taken to explain that the additional two percent incentive must be funded by efficiency savings and that the company is prepared to negotiate further on the details of this scheme.

“The company remains committed to talking with the unions to bring this matter to an amicable conclusion and does not believe that industrial action is a foregone conclusion.”

He denied that Mr Foster had made any threats of a lock-out.

He added: “Safety remains our number one priority and in the event of industrial action long-standing agreements are in place with unions to ensure the continuing safety and security of the site.”

Mr Clements responded: “We welcome the denial of the lock-out threat, but the claim was passed to us from a very reliable source.”

He added that all three unions stood by their leaflets and denied there was any confusion over their presentation of the pay offer.

The ballot results should be known by mid May.

In the annual pay round at Springfields, Sellafield Ltd has made a pay offer of 3.8 per cent plus bonus, which the unions look likely to recommend accepting.

At Sellafield, though, the unions are recommending that members reject the company’s offer of a two per cent rise plus a capped unconsolidated bonus payable at the year end.