Negotiations
at Acas between British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) and the GMB and Amicus unions have
led to a three-year deal to end the industrial action at the Sellafield nuclear
plant.
The
dispute centred on a promise by BNFL to harmonise salaries among industrial and
white collar staff by next year.
However,
the company only offered to begin the process of harmonisation in April 2004,
with the transition to be completed in April 2009.
The
new deal will see shift pay increase by £2,000 – a 30 per cent increase – over
the next three years for 2,400 shift workers to achieve parity with their white
collar counterparts by 2006. In addition, there are extra pension benefits for
anyone who retires in the interim.
The
new offer will be put to the workers in a formal ballot in the next few weeks,
with the union recommending acceptance.
Dougie
Rooney, Amicus national officer for energy said: "This is a victory for
common sense. It gives our members equalisation on shift pay in a much shorter
period of time.
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"We
will now need to work with the management team at Sellafield to improve
industrial relations for the future," he said.
