Union leader confident it will be 'business as usual' for Dounreay site
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A CAITHNESS trade union leader is confident it will be "business as usual" at Dounreay following the announcement that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is to take over site operations early next year.
Davie Alexander, the chairman of Thurso and Wick Trades Union Council, said the workforce and the public should not see major changes, while local MSP Gail Ross has been given an assurance that no jobs will be lost and there will be no impact on the NDA's socio-economic funding in the area.
The announcement means the parent body at the Dounreay site will now be the NDA instead of the Cavendish Dounreay Partnership. The move takes effect from March 2021.
There had been speculation about the move for a while, according to Mr Alexander.
"It has been rumoured for some time and has been unsettling, but at least the decision is made now and people know where they are," he said. "The transition period is fairly short but there has been a lot of dialogue behind the scenes and the Dounreay unions have been involved at all stages.
"The programme of work has been agreed and that will carry on. The NDA will be overseeing it a bit closer rather than going through a third party. I hope the transition goes well but the public and workforce should not see much change at all. It should be business as usual.
"Unions will be keeping a close eye on the situation and stakeholders will be kept up to speed."
Mr Alexander also stressed the important role played by the supply chain in the decommissioning of Dounreay.
Unions will be keeping a close eye on the situation and stakeholders will be kept up to speed.
Asked if the change would be good for the Caithness economy in the long term, he replied: "It is too early to say how this will turn out. Only time will tell."
Eann Sinclair, Caithness and Sutherland area manager for Highlands and Islands Enterprise, described the announcement as "widely anticipated" but welcomed "the clarity it could bring following a period of uncertainty".
He said: "I hope we will see early signals of contract opportunities at Dounreay, which could give valuable confidence and support for our supply chain companies as we go forward into what will undoubtedly be a challenging period in economic terms."
Gail Ross, the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said: "I have spoken to the NDA and I have been reassured that this move will not result in job losses, nor affect the work being done or the socio-economic funding that has benefited the county as part of the decommissioning process.
"I will continue to liaise with the unions, among others, to ensure that this is the case. It is important that the staff and surrounding community are reassured that the programme will continue as agreed."
It was announced on Friday that Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) and LLW Repository Ltd (LLWR) will become wholly owned subsidiaries of the NDA.
DSRL is responsible for the safe and secure clean-up of the Dounreay site, while LLWR manages and operates the NDA’s low-level waste repository in Cumbria and the provision of waste disposal treatment services.
NDA chief executive David Peattie said the changes are part of a plan to make nuclear decommissioning more effective. The decisions follow similar changes at Sellafield and Magnox.
"We have seen significant progress at Dounreay, which includes the opening of permanent disposal facilities to house low-level waste," he said. "It has also seen hazard reduction in the completion of a major project to remove nuclear materials from the site, which was a priority for the UK government and an important part of the NDA’s strategy."
DSRL ownership will transfer to the NDA from the Cavendish Dounreay Partnership, a consortium of Cavendish Nuclear, Jacobs and Amentum.
Prior to ownership transfers, DSRL and LLWR will stay under the management and direction of their respective parent body organisations.
The NDA said the supply chain and the private sector remain essential to its mission.
