Members reject APTN pay offer

Union members at Associated Press and Television News in Camden, London, have unanimously rejected a below inflation pay offer.

Following a well-attended meeting, the joint BECTU/NUJ Shop sent this response to APTN’s management.

BECTU/NUJ Shop joint response to the management’s 2008 pay offer:

As previously outlined (in the unions’ pay claim of 2008) the cost of living is increasing dramatically nationally and even more so in London. The current CPI inflation index is set at 3%, and the RPI index at 4.2% (April figure up from 3.8% in March). The capital’s inflation is regarded to be even higher.

The Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, said on Wednesday the 14th of May that the outlook for UK inflation has “deteriorated markedly” and that a high inflation was expected for at least another year (Source - BBC website 14th May).

In the month leading up to King’s statement the cost of transport had increased by 0.5 %, the cost of food by 1.3% and the cost of energy by 2.1% (Source - The Guardian 14th May).

Furthermore, It is accepted by the bank of England that the inflation will increase to unprecedented levels in 2008 (Source - Bank of England Inflation report 2008)

The management's three year pay offer was set significantly below all inflation rates and dramatically below the increased cost of living. As a consequence the joint NUJ/BECTU shop on May 22nd voted unanimously and in the strongest possible terms to reject the offer.

Furthermore, considering the volatility of the current inflation the shop will not accept a future pay offer, which is not tied to the rate of inflation.

The shop urges the management to offer an annual pay deal, which recognises the radically increased cost of living the staff at APTN are experiencing.

Commenting last Friday 23 May, BECTU National Official, Pat Styles, said: "Our members made their feelings of disappointment at management's below inflation offer explicitly clear at yesterday’s meeting - this is as a result of consistently receiving below inflation wage rises for several years, even in years when APTN profits were considerable.

“It is to be hoped that APTN management realise the strength of feeling about this matter amongst our members and do the decent thing by offering a pay increase that reflects not only the current rate of inflation, but also the higher costs of living and working in London."