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.
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“It has to be our aim to continue narrowing that gap. But any changes we look to introduce will come from the bottom up.”