Pay
settlements in the engineering and manufacturing sector have increased slightly
for the second month running.
Latest
figures from the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF) show that for the
three months to the end of November 2002, the average settlement level was 2.5
per cent. For the three months to the end of October, it was 2.4 per cent.
The
number of pay freezes remained constant in the three months to November,
standing at around one in nine of all reported settlements. Companies reporting
deferred pay settlements remained steady at nearly 8 per cent.
EEF
deputy director of employment policy, David Yeandle, said: "A relatively
tight labour market and the inevitable ‘knock on’ impact of above-inflation
awards in parts of the public sector are now creating upward pressure on
engineering and manufacturing settlements, despite continuing difficult
economic circumstances."
