Millennium working deal at CTI

Transmitter company Castle Transmission International has proposed pay rates of up to 8T for the Millennium New Year.

BECTU is balloting its members in CTI, which includes hundreds of ex-BBC engineers, with a recommendation that they should accept the company's offer.

Under the proposal any staff working between 2200 on December 31 1999 and 0600 on January 1 2000, called "critical" time by the company will receive premium pay of eight times their normal hourly rate.

During two other periods of the weekend, described as "special" time, staff will receive four times their hourly rate. These periods run from 1700 to 2200 on New Year's Eve, and from 0600 until midnight on New Year's Day.

Staff on standby will receive payment at 1T, with a promise that if they are called out their minimum turn of duty will be at least four hours, and they will receive the agreed premium payments.

CTI is expecting that more staff than usual will be needed on duty over the Millennium weekend to cope with any problems in their extensive transmitter caused by the Y2K bug.