Pay row at chemical weapons lab is national security issue, whistleblower claims

20 February 2023 , 22:17

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Workers at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory - which investigated the 2018 Salisbury Novichok attack and supported health officials during the Covid-19 pandemic - are being balloted for strike action (Image: Getty Images)

A pay row at Porton Down, the chemical weapons research lab, has become a national security issue, a whistleblower claims.

Workers at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory are being balloted for strike action, with the result set to be announced on Monday.

Angry staff say years of below-inflation pay hikes have pushed them to the brink of staging a walkout or quitting altogether.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, one insider warned: “We could be weeks or months from losing entire skill sets that have taken years and decades to build up.”

Porton Down, near Salisbury, Wilts, hit the headlines in 2018 when Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, were poisoned with novichok, a nerve agent analysed by DSTL scientists.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

A source has raised fears about the impact of a staff "exodus" (PA)

The insider said failing to boost pay could trigger an exodus to universities and the private sector.

Prospect union general secretary Mike Clancy said a decade of paltry pay rises had led to the “continuous loss of skills that are vital to our national security”.

A government spokesman said: “This is not a risk to national security.

“DSTL ensures the UK has the right people to meet our defence and security challenges, working collaboratively with academia and industry partners, supporting the development of science and technology capabilities to protect the UK.”

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Ben Glaze