CWU reaches agreements at BT and Royal Mail

Communications union the CWU has negotiated three new agreements providing pay rises of up to 3.8%.

At telecoms giant BT, the union is recommending acceptance of a 3.5% pay offer, backdated to 1 April, following what it called "long and tough negotiations" and the rejection of earlier "derisory" offers.

CWU members at Quadrant, which provides catering services to Royal Mail, have voted by four to one in favour of a two-year deal offering a 3.6% increase in pay and allowances this year. Another increase of 3% (or the rate of inflation, if that is higher) will follow in April 2006. The agreement will also improve London weighting and maternity leave.

Also at Royal Mail, CWU members in Vehicle Services are to vote on an offer of a 3.8% pay rise (or a £11.50 per week increase for low-paid workers), to be backdated to 28 March. The increase also applies to overtime rates and the Scottish Distant Islands Allowance.

Meanwhile, the main Royal Mail pay agreement has been overwhelmingly endorsed in a ballot of CWU members, as has the deal struck at the Post Office (see last month's Workplace Report for details).

However, the CWU is less impressed by Royal Mail's claim that a recent fall in absenteeism is the result of a prize draw that gave staff with good attendance records the chance to win cars and holidays.

"Over the last 18 months, our members have benefited from pay increases of more than 18%," said deputy general secretary Dave Ward. "Their working week has also been reduced from six days to five. It is only that kind of investment and improvement that will ensure absenteeism continues to fall."