Hinkley Point Construction Workers Initiate Industrial Action Over Pay Dispute

Employees engaged in the building of the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant have commenced industrial action, asserting that their remuneration is unjust. These workers, who are employed by Alten, a company supplying EDF’s Hinkley Point C, state that they have not received a cost of living pay increase for four years. Their initial step involved a 24-hour walkout from their Bristol office on Tuesday, and they have since initiated further measures, characterized by Prospect Union as “short of a strike”. Alten declared its “committed to the highest standards of integrity in all operations”. Meanwhile, EDF indicated that it is looking into the allegations, asserting that it does not condone any practices within its supply chain that deviate from its principles of fairness and equality. According to Prospect Union, these employees contribute engineering and design expertise for crucial elements of Hinkley Point C, which is recognized as the UK’s largest energy infrastructure project. Tuesday marked the second day of strike action, following the first on 10 October. Currently, the workers are pursuing alternative forms of action, such as the withdrawal of goodwill. Andy Jennings, Prospect national secretary, stated: “We do not want to take this action but the employer has refused to give all its workers a cost-of-living pay rise.” He added, “If the employer wants to avoid further action and the potential project delays that would entail then they need to come back to us with an offer which at a minimum enables our members to cope with rising costs.” Alten employs approximately 60 individuals across Sizewell C and Hinkley Point C, with 11 of them participating in the strike ballot. EDF reported that the combined total of engineers engaged on both projects exceeds 3,000. An EDF spokesperson further commented: “The company in question provides services to the UK EPR Engineering function of EDF. “The spokesperson affirmed, “EDF will investigate these claims and, if they are found to be correct, will take appropriate action.” Additionally, Prospect Union has voiced apprehensions regarding the utilization of inexpensive labor for the Hinkley Point C project. In its reply to the union’s assertions, Alten stated: “Recent news reports regarding Hinkley Point and Sizewell nuclear plant engineers who have gone on strike includes allegations regarding Alten employees. “The company emphasized, “Alten would like to stress that these allegations are completely unfounded.” EDF also noted: “Some of our suppliers do employ people from overseas to complement the UK workforce, to bring specialist skills and expertise from other nuclear projects, however, we expect all workers to be treated fairly and consistently.”