Contractors at the Sellafield site have ended their pay dispute, following 31 days of strike action.

Security guards, laundry workers, cleaners, catering and vending staff based at the West Cumbria nuclear complex have secured a 55p an hour pay rise from outsourcing firm Mitie.

More than 180 members of union Unite voted in favour of industrial action over pay.

Workers were paid £8.45 an hour and are demanding staff are paid more, but the company "has refused to allow Unite a seat at the negotiating table".

But after talks, a pay rise has been agreed which brings the staff up to the Living Wage Foundation’s real living wage of £9 per hour.

The revised pay deal was backed by 79 per cent of members in a consultative ballot.

Workers rejected the company’s initial pay offer, which would have seen most workers paid just £8.45 per hour.

Unite regional officer Ryan Armstrong said: “This historic pay rise demonstrates what can be achieved when you stick together.

“It has been a long, difficult dispute, but the determination of members to stand up for better pay has shone through and secured a real living wage for Mitie workers at Sellafield.”

Strike action began in April.

A Mitie spokesman said: “In June we announced that we had made the decision to move all employees working on our soft services contract at Sellafield to a minimum hourly rate of £9.

"This will take effect from August 1.”