Fifty workers downed tools and went on strike at Didcot power station today in support of protests against the use of foreign labour at British industrial plants.

RWE npower, which owns the power station, confirmed 50 workers – all contractors working for three firms, Doosan Babcock, Cape and Hertel UK – had gone on strike, but tonight some workers claimed twice as many men could be involved.

The sympathy strike followed walkouts last week by workers at several major plants across the UK, upset at the use of Italian and Portuguese workers on a project at the Lindsey oil refinery in Immingham, Lincolnshire.

Today, contractors at Sellafield and Heysham nuclear power plants followed those at Grangemouth oil refinery and power stations in Scotland, Cheshire and Nottinghamshire in walking out.

Tonight, RWE npower said the Didcot strike had not affected the running of the power station.

A 47-year-old scaffolder, who asked not to be named, said: “We had a meeting about 10am and people voted to walk out.

“It’s more than 50 – about 100 people have gone home. It’s a peaceful strike. As far as I’m aware, it’s for one day.

“The atmosphere was terrible. We’re all angry about the foreign workers.

“I would rather be at work, because I’ve got bills to pay, but the Government isn’t listening, so if we have to stay out, we have to stay out. We feel this is our only option.

“If we had a message for the Government it would be ‘look at the English workers before the foreign workers’.”

A total of 626 people are employed at Didcot power station, 350 of whom are RWE npower staff.

Station manager John Rainford said: “No RWE npower staff are involved and both Didcot power stations continue to operate normally.”

A spokesman for the firm added: “We understand about 50 contract workers, who work on maintenance or scaffolding installation projects at Didcot A and B power stations, have left site in sympathy with workers at the Lindsey oil refinery.”

Hundreds of workers went on strike at the refinery last week after a £200m contract was given to an Italian firm. Up to 1,000 people gathered outside the plant in protests against the decision.

A spokesman for the trade union Unite said it was unable to comment, because the strike was unofficial and being carried out independently of the union.

A spokesman for Doosan Babcock said the grievances levelled at other contractors through the industrial action were not relevant to the company’s operations, and it was disappointed with the action.

The spokesman said: “Such action is not only damaging to the energy industry, but is also detrimental to the interests of the UK workforce in terms of reliability and credibility.”

A spokesman for Cape refused to comment.

No-one from Hertel was available for comment as the Oxford Mail went to press.

didcot@oxfordmail.co.uk