The dispute centres around the failure of DSRL, a consortium owned by Cavendish Nuclear, CH2M and Aecom, to meet Prospect's claim for a 2.3% pay rise. That claim submitted in March 2017 was an attempt to arrest the erosion of wages that Prospect members had seen over a number of years at Dounreay. DSRL's best offer was 1.75%, a further cut in members real wages.

"Our members at Dounreay and across the nuclear decommissioning estate, are in effect working to make themselves redundant" Prospect National Secretary for Scotland Richard Hardy explained "successful completion of their jobs means that work at the site will be hugely reduced, we think it's only fair therefore that those members don't also see the value of their wages and pensions being cut at the same time".

"we know that the owning companies are making money out of the decommissioning operation" continued Hardy "we know that this is largely because of the hard work of our members and the innovations that they bring to their roles, even though they know that shortening a job, shortens their employment. Reducing real wages not only impacts our members but the whole economy of the North. This is public money being used to fund massive payments to foreign owned companies, we've said repeatedly "wealth created in Caithness shouldn't be cashed in California".

The GMB and Unite unions on site are also balloting their members

The ballot closes on 22nd December with action likely to take place on 15th January