Sellafield staff vote for industrial action

The Sellafield plant in the UK

Workers at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, England have voted to take industrial action in a row over health and safety.

The plant has a particular interest to people from Dundalk due to its location across the Irish Sea, with fears of any catastrophes there having a major impact on this area.

Unite said its 1,200 members at the site overwhelmingly backed a campaign of action. A meeting will be held next week to decide what form the action will take.

The union said it had been trying for 10 months to have an official appointed to a health and safety role at Sellafield, adding that talks have now broken down.

“Our members have lost patience with Sellafield management who have steadfastly continued to ignore our very reasonable request,” said regional officer Steve Benson. “All they are asking for is their right for a co-worker to become a union shop steward at the Sellafield site to represent construction workers and keep them safe.

“It makes sense for our members and the company and it will help improve industrial relations and a safety and welfare culture at the site. Unite members have no wish to take action, but are being forced to do so by a company unwilling to take our members’ concerns seriously.

“Unite has a proud track record of working with employers to resolve disputes and is urging Sellafield to get back to serious talks.”

Kirk calls on Ireland to challenge decision to grant State Aid to new British power plant

Seamus Kirk TD

Local Fianna Fáil TD Seamus Kirk has called for Ireland to challenge the decision by the European Commission to formally grant State Aid approval to Britain to build a new nuclear power plant in Somerset beside the Irish Sea.

Deputy Kirk said: “Ireland is already at unacceptable risk from the Sellafield power plant and today’s decision by the European Commission is very worrying.

“The European Commission has cleared the way for the British government to give 35 years of financial aid to the nuclear power station planned for Hinckley, only 240km from Ireland.

“Fianna Fáil believes this is a major distortion of competition rules and will result in huge State financial support going to the nuclear industry. Ireland can move to challenge this decision by bringing a case to the European Court of First Instance challenging the decision of the European Commission to permit such State Aid. Since planning permission has already been granted for this nuclear power station, a challenge to the European Court on the grounds of State Aid is the only viable means of trying to block this nuclear plant that will threaten Ireland’s future.

“We need to hear a very clear response from the Government on this issue. Did the Taoiseach make any representations with British Prime Minister David Cameron prior to this ruling and what approach will the Government take now to protect Ireland’s interests?”

Staff told not to report to work at Sellafield due to “elevated levels of radioactivity”

The Sellafield plant in the UK

Staff at the nuclear power plant site at Sellafield in the UK – just across the Irish Sea from Dundalk – have been asked not to report to work today because of elevated radiation levels.

The operator of the plant said it was operating at “reduced manning levels” with all non-essential workers asked to stay at home.

The firm described it as a “conservative and prudent decision”.

“This follows the detection of elevated levels of radioactivity at one of the on-site radiation monitors at the north end of the site,” it said in a statement.

“Levels of radioactivity detected are above naturally occurring radiation but well below that which would call for any actions to be taken by the workforce on or off the site.”

Mark Dearey to represent the Green Party in European Parliament elections

Mark Dearey of the Green Party

Local councillor Mark Dearey has been chosen as one of the Green Party’s four candidates for this summer’s European Parliament elections.

The former Senator, who will also be running in the Dundalk-Carlingford area for a seat on Louth County Council, has been chosen to run in the Midlands-North-West constituency. The four seat constituency includes Louth, Meath, Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Longford, Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim, Roscommon, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.

Other candidates so far confirmed to be running in the constituency include Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy and independents Marian Harkin and Ronan Mullen.

He will be joined on the Green Party ticket by former communications minister Eamon Ryan (Dublin), ex-Greenpeace activist Grace O’Sullivan (Ireland South) and East Belfast Green Party founder Ross Brown (Northern Ireland).

The selection convention took place in the Central Hotel in Dublin on Saturday.

Cllr Dearey is well known in the area as publican of The Spirit Store on George’s Quay.

The 50-year-old, who now lives in Omeath, has been an elected representative in the area for a decade but first came to local prominence 20 years ago when he and three others took a court action against British Nuclear Fuels Limited to seek an end to reprocessing at Sellafield.

Cllr Dearey is also the Green Party’s non-parliamentary spokesperson for Finance and a director of Turas, the addiction counselling service.

He will be joined on the Green Party ticket for the Louth County Council elections by his sister-in-law, Cllr Marianne Butler.