Grant, that was a touching tale.
But I guarentee you that you've never woke up on a Monday morning for first shift & felt like crying.
I wish you non-grafters could spend a week working on site & then you'd finally see just all the effort that EVERY Sellafield worker puts in.
You'll be whinging about our hard-earned bonuses next I imagine? Get a life, Grant!

My heart bleeds for you all. I work 24 hour shifts 8 times a month, if the fall on a weekend that doubles to 48 hours, I also work in a nuclear environment, and in between those lon shifts I get the joy of working monday to friday from 0730 to 1730, and this is during our supposedly easy, time alongside! During deployments I work a 6 hours on 6 hours off shift pattern continuosly for anything upto 3 months without any time off, not even weekends! To cap it all I could never hope to get close to the wages you whinging lazy sellafield employees get. Also had the joy of a two year pay freeze and the government slashing what meagre perks we once received in the SDSR. But I get on with it and enjoy it and wouldn't change it for the world. Try getting some perspective!
Its the whinging that makes people hate you!!!

I find it amazing all the comments about Sellafield salaries. The slaries at Sellafield are small compared to the real world, they only seem large because there is nothing else to compare them with. In the outside world, or private sector, Sellafield salaries look small. I doubled my salary within three years of leaving the place. I have similar responsibilities that I had as a PG10, but I'm earning significantly more. My MD, who'd be the eqivalent of a SMG at Sellafield, earns 10 times what a Sellafield SMG would earn.

I also must support comments about being a 'pen pusher'. I went from apprentice to PG10 during my 16 years at BNFL. Each time I got a promotion I actually worked harder and much longer hours. As a shift electrician life was like a holiday camp. When I decided I wanted a career people thought I was mad moving on to days as a PG7. However 5 years later I was a PG10. The way my former shift colleagues treated me was awful, like I was something they'd stood in.

I think there will always be a them and us attitude at Sellafield, it's a cultural issue. Those moving up on to 'staff' are seen as sellouts by a certain element of workers.

As for double shifts, done hundreds and it was never a problem. Getting a good nights sleep on night shift was always a certainty.

There's lots of bitter people around it seems.
I for one agree with this article. Non-Sellafield workers have no idea how hard we work. I'd like to see all the haters work the shifts I do & then see if they'd still accuse us of being "lazy".
Pathetic.

To Stephen, thats a very quaint sentiment you have just shared there. I can assure you that as a former shop floor and current penpusher I have no interest in 'looking down' on anyone regardless of their job. How about for devils advocates sake we look at the disgust and contempt the local community hold us Sellafield-over paid-can't get a real ob -blah blah workers? Treated with derision and contempt at every turn because we turn out for work every day like everyone else? If someone looks down on you because you are lesser paid thats not because they are a 'sellafiled worker' its because they are not a decent human being and unfortunately (and some may doubt this) they exist both sides of that fence Im afraid! To try and be relevant slightly to the tpic at hand, I myself have turned in 18 hour days at times but Im grateful just to have my job and I get on with it.

To pen-pushers, 'real' workers, and all at Sellafield. Count your blessings, stop and think of those you look down on, those outside your golden circle on minimum wage, toiling without thanks or courtesy in the bars, shops and factories of this town.

Well lads. Typical comments from the few that always find time to comment on Sellafield issues. I wonder if you actually work there!!!! Your somewhat abject hate (no other word for it really) of so called pen pushers is worrying. Who do you think deals with regulators, supports the workers with their instructions, deal with incidents etc etc. Need I go on. As an ex shop floor worker now a so called pen pusher it is really time for some of you to grow up and recognise that a company such as Sellafield Ltd needs a wide range of skills in order to operate. I challenge the average shop floor worker to sit with ONR for a day and convince them that a plant should still be allowed to operate given a number of safety breaches. Mind if you are up for it then let me know. Always up for willing volunteers!!!!

Mike - It's company policy that whether its a day or a week or a month its 1 period of sick, so who in the right mind wants to go on review for one day, people might aswell have a few weeks off. Until this is stopped its always going to be the same

My God! After reading some of the comments on here I can imagine Thatcher rubbing her hands with glee. We're all just a number at the end of the day and don't ever think anything different.
When the axe comes it won't matter if you're white-collar or blue-collar. The dole is the same for everybody.

If it wasn't for all the lazy workers taking unecessary sick leave (one of the highest stats in the country) there'd be no need for other workers to provide cover for them. The staffing figures are more than adequate even taking holidays into account. That's if they would all turn up.

Some of them seem to think it's a god given right to take sick leave to supplement their already massive amounts of annual leave.