Hinkley Point C tunnelling crews cancelled a planned strike this week after they were promised more than £2m in repayment of taxes deducted from their wages.
Members of the GMB and Unite trade unions working at TG Tunnelling accepted a pay offer from the company, meaning plans for a walkout from the Somerset nuclear project on Monday (7 April) were withdrawn.
GMB organiser Tim Northover said: “GMB members have accepted an offer which means they will not be out of pocket. As a result, the strike has been cancelled.
“Hopefully we will now have time to resolve the wider issues around the dispute in good faith.”
But he warned: “We retain the strike mandate and won’t hesitate to set further dates for industrial action if necessary.”
TG Tunnelling has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, Hinkley Point C client EDF admitted this week that it had brought in specialists to tackle a rat infestation at the sprawling scheme.
A spokesperson for the project said: “As is common across all large construction sites there will be occasions when the presence of vermin is noted.
“A specialist company has carried out a survey and measures are in place to address the issue. We are committed to working alongside our trades union partners to provide the best environment for all of our workers.”
Sources told CN that workers had complained about the rat problem.
“They’re all over. You see them just sat there, looking at you,” one person told The Guardian.
“It is worse near the canteens, where I guess it started. But they are everywhere now.”
Contractors Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke were last year served warning notices by the nuclear regulator over fire-safety failures at Hinkley Point C.
EDF revealed last year that the project could cost up to £46bn and take another four years to complete. A decade ago the scheme was expected to cost in the region of £25m.