Unions accept BBC's 2.9% pay rise

Members of BECTU, NUJ, and Amicus have voted in postal ballots to accept this year's pay offer from the BBC.

The 2.9% increase, which applies to staff in the BBC, and BBC Broadcast Ltd, won support from three out of four BECTU members who participated in the ballot. Staff should now receive the rise in their August pay packets.

Earlier this month the unions were poised for an industrial action ballot across the BBC over a 2.7% offer which was heaviliy criticised for falling below the prevailing rate of inflation.

On June 29, the eve of the ballot, management improved the offer to 2.9%, and insisted that the unions should not campaign against it during the vote.

BECTU's ballot result, announced yesterday July 26, revealed that 74.4% of members voting had accepted the BBC's revised offer.

Members in BBC Resources, BBC Worldwide, and BBC Technology, are all covered by separate pay bargaining, and since April have settled on increases ranging from 2.5% to 2.8%.

Letter sent to BECTU members with pay ballot forms

To: BECTU MEMBERS IN BROADCAST LTD AND THE BBC

Dear Colleague,

CONSULTATIVE PAY BALLOT

You will be aware that following the second pay meeting on the 3rd June the BBC made an offer on pay with a headline figure of 2.7%. In the light of inflation running at 2.8% BECTU thought that this was unacceptable and amounted to a pay cut.

In conjunction with the Joint Unions BECTU was about to begin a ballot for industrial action when the BBC indicated that they would be prepared to offer 2.9%. This increased offer was conditional upon the Unions not campaigning for rejection, if they did so, then the whole pay offer would be completely withdrawn.

After careful consideration the Joint Unions have decided to put the offer out to ballot without a recommendation to accept or reject. This is not because we think it is a good offer, but because we think it is the best that can be achieved through negotiation and it is up to you, the membership, to decide if you wish to reject or accept the offer.

If it is rejected then we will be balloting you for industrial action in order to force the BBC to improve upon 2.9%.

THE OFFER

  • The increase of 2.9% would apply to all those employed by BBC Broadcast Ltd and the BBC, unlike in previous years there would be no bottom loading element. The general increase would be applied to all pay related allowances including UPA alowances, and the floors and ceilings of the salary grades.

  • Payments for night hours worked between 0000 and 0400 would increase from £6.79 to £7.50 (10.5%) whilst payments for night hours worked between 0400 and 0600 would rise from £14.29 to £14.70 (2.9%).

  • Currently women employees only qualify for BBC maternity pay after 12 months service. As part of our claim we asked that they should qualify on day one. The BBC have conceded the position that women will qualify after 6 months service.

  • In our claim we pointed out that expenses for meals on location had not gone up in over a decade. The BBC responded by saying that although expenses are not negotiable they would write separately indicating an increase in the amount paid for the evening meal only, from £10 to £13.

  • The 1998 ACAS agreement has been extended until July 31st 2005 so that if you are facing redundancy you will still have five months in which to look for re-deployment opportunities.

THE BALLOT

It is now time for you to decide what happens next. BECTU will not be campaigning against this offer because if we do so it will be withdrawn.

If you are prepared to accept the offer then vote YES. If on the other hand you wish to reject the offer then you should vote NO.

If there is a NO vote then we will be balloting you for industrial action to increase the offer.

Please return the ballot paper in the envelope provided to the Electoral Reform Ballot Services, 33 Clarendon Road, London N8 0NW no later than 12 noon on Friday 23rd July 2004.

You have been sent this letter because we believe that you are an employee of BBC Broadcast Ltd or the BBC.

Yours sincerely

Luke Crawley
Supervisory Official

27 July 2004