Employees at Royal Mail are to get an above-inflation pay increase of between 3.8% and 4.5% after the company struck a deal with the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
The agreement will mean:
- A straight £11.50 increase per week in pay for operational grades and members in Manual Data Entry Centres and mailrooms
- A 3.8% increase for engineers and admin workers
- A £100 Christmas bonus for all operational grades
- A voluntary, office-based productivity scheme that has the potential to reward members with lump sum payments.
CWU deputy general secretary, Dave Ward, said: “The clear priority for our members is basic pay. This deal will give everyone an above-inflation increase, between 3.8% and around 4.5%. That is genuine progress.”
Over the next nine months both the Royal Mail and the CWU will start a review of employees’ pay, terms and conditions.
“Basic pay is obviously the main issue and I don’t think we can hide away from the fact earnings in Royal Mail are below the national average,” Ward said.
“It has to be our aim to continue narrowing that gap. But any changes we look to introduce will come from the bottom up.”