A concerted effort by workers taking industrial action at the Sellafield site is causing misery for thousands of commuters.
The members of union Unite, who work for contractors on the nuclear site, believe they should be paid a Sellafield-specific allowance because they work in a highly hazardous environment.
They are taking industrial action and their protesting has caused mayhem on the roads around the site.
Now called the Sellafield shuffle, union members are taking as long as possible to complete the marches previously agreed with authorities.
Today, the march took five hours to complete, Cumbria Crack understands.
Commuters have reported it taking them up to six hours to get on to the site, when it should normally take them around an hour.
Striking walkers are marching in the roads surrounding the site.
Cumbria Crack has been sent footage of a march and a song said to refer to the ongoing strike action.
WARNING: The song contains extremely strong language.
The industrial action is due to continue until October 13.
Unite represents around 1,500 workers.
A continuous overtime ban will start on October 14.
Unite said it remained committed to resolving the dispute. The union is calling on employers to return to the negotiating table to discuss the site specific proposals that would recognise the unique hazards and skills set required at Sellafield.
A Sellafield spokesman said: “The industrial action taking place at Sellafield is the result of a pay dispute between some Unite union members and their employers.
“As the people involved are not employed by Sellafield Ltd this is not a dispute that we can resolve.
“Our priority, as always, is to maintain the safety and security of the Sellafield site.
“We have provided guidance to our employees who may be impacted in travelling to the site during the action.
“We will also continue to support Cumbria police as they work to minimise the impact of the action on the local road network.”
