Over 100 tunnellers working on a Balfour Beatty contract at Hinkley Point C were due to go on strike today regarding a pay dispute.
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Over 100 tunnellers working on a Balfour Beatty contract at Hinkley Point C were due to go on strike today regarding a pay dispute
Tunnellers working to TG Tunnelling at Hinkley Point C were incorrectly taxed last year and as members of the GMB and Unite trades unions, planned a strike to resolve the issue.
TG Tunnelling were reportedly not deducting tax from lodging allowances for labourers, which resulted in HM Revenue & Customs seeking back-dated tax. This would see workers’ tax bills rise, which led to the planned strike action.
However an offer was made today to grant a payment to cover the surplus tax, with 93% of GMB members voting in favour.
Unionised workers will retain the strike mandate
GMB organiser Tim Northover said: “GMB members have accepted an offer which means they will not be out of pocket. As a result, today’s strike has been cancelled.
“Hopefully we will now have time to resolve the wider issues around the dispute in good faith.
“We retain the strike mandate and won’t hesitate to set further dates for industrial action, if necessary.”
The unrest follows a spate of similar walkouts at Hinkley Point C
2023 saw a variety of labour disputes at and relating to the nuclear power plant site, with 150 platers, welders and sheet metal workers at Darchem Engineering in Stockton-Upon-Tees (a Hinkley Point C supplier) securing a pay boost worth up to 13% after seven weeks of walk-out action.
Steel erectors working for contractor William Hare downed tools in response to existing shift rotation patterns on the site in early August, as well as 300 scaffolders working for BYLOR, a joint venture of French firm Bouygues Travaux Publics (TP) and Laing O’Rourke, who downed tools on 2 August.
In 2024, an estimated 1,600 MEH workers walking out over health and safety concerns and a lack of fingerprint scanners, with an alleged five machines serving a workforce of 13,000.
This followed multiple instances of employees walking out over pay disputes, such as members of the trade union, Prospect, who are working for Alten on EDF’s Edvance Project in November 2024.
Hinkley Point C is not expected to be completed until at least 2031
EDF announced in January 2024 that the projected expense for the completion of Hinkley Point C ranged between £31bn and £34bn. In the event of a delay in the first reactor unit until 2031, the costs are expected to escalate to £35bn.
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