Unite's nuclear workers to be balloted on new pension deal
A new and improved pension deal for the 16,000 employees of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is to be put to members of Unite, the country's largest union.
Unite's consultative ballot will open on Monday 12 June and closes on Friday 30 June.
The new proposals that Unite members will be voting on were hammered out between energy minister Jesse Norman, and Unite, the GMB union and Aslef.
What is envisaged is a career average revalued earnings (CARE) scheme which will involve an increase in the accrual rate, marking a positive benefit for all. However, contributions are to set to increase. Many of the established benefits will remain unchanged.
Unite national officer for energy Kevin Coyne said: “After more than a year of intensive negotiations, we believe that on the pension issue this is the best deal that can be achieved by negotiation.
“A significant achievement was to roll back the £620 million savings demanded by the Treasury to a more manageable figure of £320 million.
“The proposals remove the protections that the unions won for the workers on the denationalisation of the industry in the 1990 Electricity Act, but an amendment to the act will ensure the CARE scheme will inherit new protections.
“Unite is currently conducting a major briefing exercise to inform our members of the new proposals and what it means to their future retirement incomes.”
Unite has nearly 3,000 members working across the NDA estate with the main sites being at Sellafield and Magnox.
