Plumbers top New Year pay settlements

Plumbers in England and Wales top the league of New Year pay settlements so far, according to the PayLine database. Their JIB agreement for England and Wales, which covers around 20,000 workers, provided increases of 6% from 5 January. There'll be an extra day's holiday from May, and a 50% improvement in sickness benefit.

Hourly pay rates now start at £8.75 for a trained plumber and gas service fitter rising to £10.21 for an advanced grade worker and £11.34 for a technician. An hourly pay supplement for major projects has been introduced.

Under the two-year deal, plumbers' graded and apprentice rates will rise again by 6% next January (subject to review to ensure that they continue to compare favourably with rates in the related mechanical services industry). Travel allowances will increase by 2.8%, while an increase in lodging allowances is to be negotiated.