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Unite has accused a group of major contractors at Sellafield of issuing coordinated layoffs during ongoing industrial action, alleging that scaffolders and other construction workers have been affected as the dispute escalates.
A letter published by the Unite Sellafield Joint Disputes Committee on 9 December claims that workers employed by Altrad, Enigma Industrial Services, Kaefer, William King Construction, PPS Electrical, ES Steel and Shepley Engineers have been laid off while taking part in lawful strike action.
Unite says the timing of the decisions, coming in the weeks before Christmas, has created significant financial and emotional pressure for those affected.
The dispute centres on a long-running disagreement over pay and conditions for NAECI construction workers at the site. Unite members, including scaffolders, began industrial action in September after employers rejected calls for a site-specific allowance for working on a nuclear facility. Unite says similar allowances exist elsewhere in the sector.
The ECIA has said some contractors have temporarily laid off staff because reduced work during strike periods has affected productivity, a claim Unite disputes. Sellafield Ltd has previously said it is not a party to the pay negotiations but had been informed about the layoff decisions.
Unite alleges that the layoffs could not have taken place without the awareness of Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. According to the union, “nothing on this site happens without their oversight”. No evidence has been provided to support the claim and neither organisation has publicly responded at the time of publication.
The union says members have raised concerns about site safety during the dispute and claims that these have been formally reported, although this has not been independently verified. It also criticises the Engineering Construction Industry Association, alleging that its involvement has contributed to a breakdown in established negotiation routes.
Unite argues that the pressure of layoffs, reduced income and uncertainty is having a clear impact on mental health, with workers reporting anxiety and stress linked to the dispute. The union says it remains willing to enter talks through ACAS and that this offer has been available since the start of the dispute.
Despite the scale of the disagreement and the number of contractors involved, Unite says national political and media attention has been limited. The union describes the situation as the largest construction dispute “in a generation” and has called for broader support across the trade union movement.
The contractors named in the letter, along with Sellafield Ltd and the NDA, had not issued public statements at the time of publication.
