Engineering construction roles at EDF’s seven power stations in Hartlepool, Torness, Heysham 1 and 2, Dungeness, Hunterston Hinkley Point B and Sizewell B will now be covered by the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) agreement, guaranteeing the workers’ pay and conditions.
In addition all the workers will see their bonus payment increase to 80 pence an hour and this payment will be backdated to January 2023. It is estimated that on average this will be worth £500 per worker.
Following the agreement between EDF and the trades unions Unite and GMB, strike action due to begin today at Hartlepool and Torness will not go ahead.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a significant agreement which delivers a decent increase to our members and shows what can be achieved by workers standing together in unity.
“This deal is further evidence that Unite’s complete focus on jobs, pay and conditions is paying dividends for its members regardless of the sector they operate in.”
As part of the agreement, there will be a pilot agreement introduced from September at Hartlepool, Torness, Hunterston, and Heysham, that will see the bonus payment increase to £1.50 an hour provided key performance indicators (KPIs) are met. This scheme will be rolled out to all seven sites in January 2024.
Workers covered by the NAECI agreement have been taking industrial action since the end of last year over bonus payments.
Following the EDF deal, the unions said that they will be looking to agree similar arrangements with other employers in the construction engineering sector. Pay talks for the NAECI agreement are due this autumn, with a pay increase due in January 2024.
Unite national officer Jason Poulter said: “This deal will serve as an important building block as unions increase their organisation to ensure that workers covered by the agreement are paid fairly.”
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