National Physical Lab

Prospect professional and managerial union members at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s national scientific measurement institution, have now voted to accept a revised pay deal of 1.5%, after previously rejecting a pay freeze and holding a ballot for industrial action (now suspended).

Staff reacted with dismay in April when Serco, the support services operating company for NPL, tabled a 0% pay offer that it described as a “pay pause”, despite record profits for Serco of £194.7 million, up 34%. This came shortly after redundancies among highly skilled scientists forced by a £4.5 million cut in specific areas of funding by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

“Our members gave us a clear mandate to achieve a consolidated pay increase,” said Prospect negotiations officer Bob King of the new deal. “We believe the offer is reasonable in the circumstances despite inflation running at over 4%. We have to balance the needs of the laboratory with those our our members’ increased living costs.”

As part of the deal, Prospect and NPL are commited to ongoing discussions about the future funding of the laboratory.