Staff at South Korean steel firm Seah Wind’s Teesside factory in the north-east of England first voted for strike action in August.
The union was in last ditch talks with conciliatory service Acas yesterday (14 October) after it rejected a 3.1% pay offer that it claims is “below inflation and industry standards”.
Workers will strike today and every Wednesday for six weeks. They will also begin a continuous overtime ban.
It is another blow to Danish developer Ørsted, which has seen a series of financial setbacks over the past few months, largely due to market uncertainty in the US caused by President Donald Trump.
The 2.9GW Hornsea 3 project is under construction in the North Sea. The site will be equipped with Siemens Gamesa’s 14MW SG 14-236 DD turbines and, once completed, is expected to become Ørsted’s largest wind farm.
Before the strike action was announced, the project had been expected to be completed and fully commissioned by 2027.
Windpower Monthly has approached Ørsted for comment.
According to the union, Seah Wind has recently received “millions of pounds of government money in subsidies to boost the production of green energy”.
GMB organiser Andrew Blunt previously described the pay deal as “pitiful”, citing unsocialable hours, “without being paid the industry standard rate”.
A Seah Wind spokesperson told Windpower Monthly that the company is “disappointed” that the union and its members are on strike, and “strongly refute” several statementes made by GMB, branding them “inaccurate and misleading”.
“In particular, the union’s claims regarding government subsidies are wholly incorrect, our project is entirely privately funded,” the spokesperson said.
Seah Wind said an independent review confirmed its competitiveness but recommended targeted pay adjustments. Following this, it proposed role-specific increases of 1.3% to 15.2%, bringing total 2025 compensation growth to 3.1% to 18.8%, excluding a March 2025 bonus.
“We are confident that our pay offer is both fair and competitive. The lowest wage at Seah Wind is 16.7% above the National Living Wage. A general operator working continental shifts earns over £40,000 (€45,973) annually. Skilled roles such as welders, platers, and maintenance technicians receive a base salary exceeding £46,000, with shift earnings reaching over £63,000 per annum placing them among the top 10% of UK earners,” the spokesperson added.
“Seah Wind is at a critical early stage of its journey. We are still in construction, commissioning, and ramping up operations and have yet to deliver our first monopile. We remain committed to creating high-quality jobs and fostering a positive working environment for the long term, while also protecting the long-term viability of our company and the shared success at Teesside.”
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