Employers
in the construction industry have agreed to give the UK’s 600,000 building
workers a record 23.3 per cent pay increase.
The
deal was agreed following talks between the construction workers’ union UCATT
and the Construction Industry Joint Council, representing both the main
contractors and the smaller building companies.
It
will mean a significant increase in basic pay – for a craftsman, up from £7.30
an hour to £9 an hour.
The
deal also includes a host of other improvements to building workers’
conditions, including improvements on safety and training.
In
addition, it will deliver an above-inflation increase in subsistence allowances
and the introduction of a contributory pension scheme. This will see employers
putting in £2.50 per week matched by employee contributions and arrangements
whereby employees can pay more and be matched pound for pound by their employer
to a maximum of £10 per week.
George
Brumwell, general secretary of the construction workers’ union UCATT, was
delighted with the pay deal.
He
said: "The employers have been worried about worsening skills shortages,
but our success is more than that. I think people are beginning to realise that
bricklayers, carpenters, scaffolders and all the other skills we have are more
valuable to society than lawyers and bankers, estate agents and politicians.”
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