MAGNOX WORKERS FACE FURTHER BETRAYAL

As the UK Government put forward its new draft Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payments Regulations, I raised concerns that these proposals are unfair to those working in the nuclear decommissioning industry, such as employees of Magnox Ltd who work at Hunterston. To cap compensation for workers who made a specific agreement to stay and complete decommissioning in return for a guarantee of an agreed level of compensation that would be payable when that work was complete and they were consequently made redundant is an unacceptable betrayal.

These commitments have since been abandoned, with nuclear decommissioning workers seeing repeated attacks on their pensions in recent years, and these proposals represent a further threat, which will disincentivise working and further affect morale.

Nuclear decommissioning workers do highly skilled and often dangerous work, it is only right they are properly looked after upon retirement. The UK Government must therefore urgently rethink these proposals and put the pension interests of workers ahead of the financial interests of the government and the industry.

You can watch my contribution below.