Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Sexual harassmentEthnicityLatest NewsEquality, diversity and inclusionBullying and harassment

Sellafield accused of ‘toxic culture’ of bullying

by Jo Faragher 10 Mar 2021
by Jo Faragher 10 Mar 2021 Sellafield nuclear site employs around 10,000 staff
Andrew Findlay / Alamy Stock Photo
Sellafield nuclear site employs around 10,000 staff
Andrew Findlay / Alamy Stock Photo

A ‘toxic culture’ of sexual harassment, racial abuse and homophobic bullying has been uncovered at nuclear site Sellafield.

In a letter leaked to the BBC, whistleblowers from the organisation’s ethnic minority staff network said there were “shocking stories” of racial abuse, while other workers had experienced sexist and homophobic bullying.

There was concern that the culture could leave serious safety concerns to go unreported.

Bullying and harassment

Policy on investigating claims of bullying and harassment

Is it time for specific anti-bullying legislation? 

The BBC’s investigation into the claims found that there were multiple allegations of serious bullying and sexual harassment.

A letter sent to the company’s board by the ethnic minority network detailed a series of 27 incidents of racism.

It said: “We fear that if we complain, we could be branded a troublemaker and mark ourselves out to be got rid of. It is exhausting that we must be wary of those who we spend most of our waking hours with.”

One such incident involved a driver in a car passing through the site shouting racist taunts.

Another involved an instructor on a training course saying the main threat to safety at the site was “bearded men in flip flops”, singling out a bearded Muslim man with his comments.

The letter urges the board to commit to better education and training and to acknowledge there is a problem with racism.

A number of staff have left the organisation after allegations were not followed up.

One senior consultant, Alison McDermott, told the news channel that when she started working there, “it quickly became apparent there was rampant bullying in the organisation”.

“Young women were saying they were in tears after work because of the way they were sexually harassed,” she said.

She is now taking her case to an employment tribunal after claiming she was dismissed for whistleblowing. Her contract was terminated in October 2018.

Sellafield, which employs around 10,000 staff at the site in Cumbria, refutes her claims.

Another former manager, Karl Connor, resigned in January after suffering a breakdown he believes was caused by bullying. He is now pursuing a disability discrimination claim.

The BBC’s investigation also revealed concerns about safety at the site. An internal report and redacted emails acquired via a freedom of information request showed that alarms meant to measure radioactive contamination levels had been ignored and lessons not always learnt from safety incidents.

Sellafield said new measures had been put in place to prevent accidents recurring and that staff were reminded about necessary checks in radiologically controlled areas.

A spokesperson told the BBC: “There is no place for bullying and harassment at Sellafield. We do not tolerate it and where we find it, we take action. We closely monitor our progress, including seeking the views of our workforce through working groups and surveys.

“We accept we have more work to do in this area, but we remain as committed as ever to eradicating unacceptable behaviour from our workplace.”

Employee relations opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more Employee Relations jobs

Jo Faragher
Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
OECD countries all guilty of gender pensions gap
next post
NHS England chief executive: ‘Staff promised more than 1% pay rise’

1 comment

Avatar
Paul Clements 10 Mar 2021 - 6:57 pm

I was an apprentice at BNFL (Sellafield) between 1988-1992.
I was diagnosed with type1 diabetes as I was about to come out my time . I was told there wasn’t a job for after this diagnosis. My union stepped in briefly but I was then told there wasn’t anything they could do.
You would not get away with this nowadays totally discriminated against.

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Police Scotland pays out £948,000 to female officer...

16 May 2022

Gender equality facing growing backlash from male managers

16 May 2022

Lack of flexibility pushes half of women to...

16 May 2022

How firms need to comply with sponsor licence...

16 May 2022

easyJet joins battle for cabin crew with £1,000...

16 May 2022

Ethnicity pay gaps: Not making reporting mandatory is...

16 May 2022

MP demands timeline on carer’s leave legislation

13 May 2022

Employment tribunal: use of word ‘bald’ can amount...

13 May 2022

Rees-Mogg under fire from civil service leader over...

13 May 2022

Prime minister steps up calls for 90,000 civil...

13 May 2022
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+