Capita TVL members: 80% Yes to pay deal

Postal February 20 2019

Members working for TV licensing contractor Capita TVL will receive a cash boost in the February pay packets after overwhelmingly approving a deal lifting wages by 2 per cent to 4.8 per cent.

And, with the agreement dating from the start of 2019, there will also be a welcome element backpay to go with the salary rise.

Reacting to the ballot result –  in which 80 per cent voted ‘yes’ to the deal, CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said: “I’m delighted that the package received such an overwhelming endorsement from our hard-working members.

“And I’m very pleased that our lower-paid grades will receive increases of nearly 5 per cent, which brings them all up above the National Living Wage – but most of all, it’s great to get this deal done and dusted so that these conscientious and dedicated workers will get the extra money in their pockets by the end of this month.”

Andy, who led the negotiations on behalf of the union, says: “This straightforward agreement, with no strings attached, establishes a new minimum hourly rate of £8.60, which means that around 72 per cent of operational and field business centre staff get an increase of nearly 5 per cent on average.

“This is an important step forward in our aspiration to end the scourge of low pay within this sector,” he adds, “but also the minimum 2 per cent across the board element provides a reasonable settlement for our higher paid members too.

“Thank you to our members for their support and also thank you for your continued loyalty to this union,” Andy concluded.

High on the agenda for the next set of negotiations with Capita TVL will be the aim of achieving a shorter working week for all, Andy continues.

“The majority of full-time TVL members work 37.5 hours; however those members who ‘TUPEd’ across to Capita from the Post Office in 2002 already benefit from a 35-hour net working week, and I believe it is long overdue that we vigorously pursue at least parity for all of our members,” he said, adding that this “may need to be implemented in incremental steps over a couple of years.”

Part-time members will also benefit by the reduction in the working week – not by working fewer hours, but by receiving higher pay by virtue of improved hourly pay rates which will occur as a consequence of reduced hours.

Negotiations are also getting under way between the CWU and Capita TVL regarding a new commission scheme for Field members – with the joint aim of reaching agreement by the end of April.