Nuclear fuels workers back ballot over strike

LONDON (Reuters) - Talks over pay have broken down at Sellafield as well as another nuclear fuel facility in northern England run by British Nuclear Fuels and workers will now be balloted on whether to strike, the GMB union said on Thursday.

GMB said 10,000 workers at the Sellafield fuel processing and radioactive waste site in Cumbria and an old uranium enrichment facility at Capenhurst would probably vote in favour of a strike.

The result of the ballot is not due until September 2, and the union must give seven days notice to strike, meaning the earliest day action could begin is September 9, a GMB spokesman said.

British Nuclear Fuels were not immediately reachable for comment after talks collapsed over a pay deal for 2008.

Workers overwhelmingly rejected the company's offer of a 2 percent increase coupled to a rise in some bonuses.

Sellafield processes fuels from nuclear power stations and stores nuclear materials and radioactive wastes.

Capenhurst in Cheshire was home to a uranium enrichment plant and associated facilities that ceased operation in 1982.

(Editing by Anthony Barker)