National security concerns as hundreds at Clyde nuclear base get set to strike today over defence cuts

It comes as there is a growing dispute over the Ministry of Defence's new Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP), which could be worth up to £200m to the base.

A new contract has been designed to break up submarine maintenance into smaller work parcels and has prompted unions to appeal to defence secretary Ben Wallace to settle the row after warnings it could damage national security.

The Clyde base is home to Britain’s fleet of four Vanguard-class submarines equipped with Trident nuclear missiles and five other Astute and Trafalgar-class nuclear-powered attack submarines.

It is claimed that if work halts, the UK's nuclear deterrent, based on a constant presence at sea, could be threatened.

After a ballot, Unite's 1000-strong membership voted by 95% in support of strike action on a 65% turnout.

The latest disputes come amidst growing concern about what the union says is a lack of discussion over the future shape of the base following the future FMSP decision.

Babcock said that during talks it made clear that it wanted to find a "mutually acceptable solution" and said that it had no ability to influence any MoD procurement process.

The rolling strike action, set to begin every day from today at 10am and will also be held in conjunction with a continuous call out ban and ban on all overtime.

Babcock, which owns the naval bases on the Clyde, said it was "disappointed" by the decision.

Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde is the navy's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

The strike involves the 'industrial' workforce, which covers roles such as electricians, mechanical fitters, plumbers and joiners, who have already rejected a pay offer of 1.1% for 2020. For 2021 and 2022, the offer was based on the consumer price index plus 0.5%.

Union leaders have been previously angry over what they called an instruction by Babcock Marine made to its workforce that they should not be involved in any process which could be described as political ‘lobbying’.

Babcock said that the ban related to employees engaging with politicians over "non-commercially sensitive information".

The concerns were that it may 'distort' the Ministry of Defence's new Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP), which could be worth up to £200m to the bases.

The FMSP provides services such as maintenance of ships and submarines, as well as providing supplies, crew accommodation and cleaning services to naval bases.

Currently the work is dominated by BAE Systems and Babcock, but the MoD is dividing the work up into smaller lots in a bid to save money.

Unions have written to Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, claiming that splitting work into smaller work packages to create more competition endangers the country’s military power, including the Navy’s Trident submarine nuclear deterrent based on the Clyde.

Unite says it has repeatedly raised concerns over the future of the nuclear naval bases following the imminent outcome of the FMSP.

Unite has warned that splitting national security contracts into smaller work packages endangers the country’s military power and nuclear response capabilities.

The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions has warned that breaking up work between multiple companies risks responsibility falling through gaps between them, creating “a significant risk to national security”.

The union has written to Mr Wallace saying the dispute over collective bargaining further “demonstrates very real concerns that FMSP could undermine national security”, according to a leaked letter.

In the letter Ian Waddell, the CSEU general secretary, adds: “This issue could be easily resolved if you were to direct officials to instruct any potential bidders for FMSP contracts to respect existing recognition and bargaining arrangements with unions, and to require multiple employers to act together to replicate these.

“This would go a long way to allaying legitimate fears of union members and help lower the industrial temperature.”

Unite has also criticised Babcock Marine management for refusing to engage with Unite on the future shape of the bases following the contract decision, which is expected to be decided upon in April 2021. The contracts are anticipated to run until March 2026.

This week Unite criticised the suitability of Babcock Marine as a Ministry of Defence contractor.

Strike action by Babcock staff is also currently also occurring at RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire.

More than 50 Babcock workers, who provide operational and engineering services for aircraft at RAF Leeming, including the Hawk trainer aircraft, have been on strike since January over a £5,000 shift pay disparity.

Stephen Deans, Unite regional coordinating officer, said: “The strike action set to take place at the Clyde nuclear naval bases falls fully on the shoulders of Babcock Marine management. Unite representatives have for a number of weeks sought to resolve this dispute. However, the company has taken the deliberate decision to escalate this dispute by refusing to meaningfully engage with us on pay and the future workplace relations at the bases.

“Any day now we are about to receive the outcome of the Ministry of Defence’s Future Maritime Support Programme, which is potentially worth up to £200m on the Clyde.

"Instead of discussing with Unite how we can work together following this major decision, Babcock Marine has ignored us and ultimately the workforce. Babcock Marine can pull this situation back from the brink if they finally get back to negotiating with us, but if they do not, then strike action involving hundreds of workers will continue until management see sense.”

The FMSP scheme is projected to deliver up to a 30 per cent saving from the previous framework, which had a five-year operating figure of £250M on the Clyde.

A Babcock spokesman said: “We are deeply disappointed that some members of the Unite Trade Union at HNMB Clyde have chosen to take industrial action in a dispute about a pay claim, when we have been clear that we are keen to try to find a mutually acceptable resolution.  

"We increased our offer during talks with Unite at the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) and believe this is a very fair pay deal that is higher than the rate of inflation. The dispute also includes a matter concerning Trade Union collective bargaining linked to an ongoing Ministry of Defence procurement process that Babcock has no ability to influence.

"We work closely with all our Trades Unions colleagues and have pulled together to keep our employees working safely throughout the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic.  We remain focused on delivering the safe, secure operations that our team at HMNB Clyde are renowned for and are keen to keep talking to all stakeholders in order to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible."

An MoD spokesman said: “The Future Maritime Support Programme will support and maintain our Naval base infrastructure, equipment and capabilities.

“Industrial action is a matter between the contractor and union, but we continue to work closely with all of our contractors to ensure defence outputs are sustained.”