Inflation rises reflected at Castle Cement

Castle Cement

Private Sector

Locations: Ketton (Leics), Avonmouth, Clyde Works, Padeswood (Clwyd), Pitstone (Bucks)

No. covered: 500

Increase: 2.85%

Length of agreement: Second-year increase under three-year deal

Date: 1.1.03

Hours: 36

Holidays: 25+8

Increases in the headline rate of inflation towards the end of 2002 boosted the pay rise awarded to manual workers at Castle Cement under the second stage of their three-year deal.

Inflation rose from 1.7% last September to 2.1% in October and 2.6% in November. The agreement provides for increases linked to the Retail Prices Index plus 0.75%, with inflation defined as the average of RPI declared for the months September, October and November. This formula has resulted in a rise of 2.85% effective from January 2003. There is a flexible five-grade pay structure, ranging from grade 1 for multi-skilled craft workers to grade 4 for process operating jobs, and grade 5 for new starters.

Grade 1 25,676.50

Grade 2 24,567.78

Grade 3 23,151.53

Grade 4 21,857.68

Grade 5 16,623.65