EE frontline pay deal recommended to members
January 14 2020Members across EE in Frontline grades, including team leaders, are being urged to accept a 15 month payoffer which is worth 2.79% overall and improves the current pay structure. If ratified in a consultative ballot which opens next week, the deal will see most employees in CWU represented grades receive an increase of 2.5% or more.
Other headline elements of the deal – which is distributed on the basis of either performance ratings or quintiles, include:
- The minimum wage for the lowest paid going up by 3.6% to £18,500
- The removal of the former linkage between salary increases and how far H2 and H3 grade employees and Team Leaders sit above their grade’s minimum salary
- A much fairer application of the way in which performance ratings affect individuals’ increases, with ratings now being rounded both up and down, not just down
- A commitment by the company to review the pay structure and the use of quintile and performance ratings that the CWU has long argued often results in unfair outcomes that individuals are unable to understand.
Commenting on what is only the second pay deal ever brokered by the CWU in EE, national officer Nigel Cotgrove pointed out that the overall 2.79% increase in the pay bill was secured in tough negotiations and means that no-one will receive less than 1% and some up to 4%
“Significantly the deal that is now before members seeks to address some of the most unfair aspects in the performance/ quintile system in advance of a joint review of EE’s current pay structure,” Nigel stresses.
“As well as scrapping the linkage between minimum salary levels and pay increases for H2 and H3 grade staff and team leaders, we’ve ensured that all the performance ratings that currently drive pay rises will be rounded up or down under normal mathematical arrangements from 2019 onwards – rather than simplyrounding down as has historically been the case in EE.
“This means that an average performance rating score of 2.5 would be rounded up to a 3 – a major improvement on current practice under which even a performance score of 2.9 would be rounded down to a 2.”
Nigel concludes: “Throughout this year’s pay talks we have continued to argue that EE should move away from a pay review system based on quintiles and performance and towards a straightforward annual cost of living review – something that would link up with arrangements in BT.
“While we’ve not managed to achieve this for 2020, the CWU’s EE national team firmly believes we’ve have achieved a better and fairer structure that represents an important step forward.”
“As such, we strongly urge members across EE to participate in the forthcoming ballot, and to vote ‘Yes’ to the company’s final offer on pay for 2020.”
The consultative ballot on EE pay will commence next week – with electronic ballot papers being issued to both home and work emails.
- Full details of the pay deal now before members can be viewed in EE Members’ Bulletin No. 04/2020.