Unequivocal ‘yes’ to Airwave pay deal

Telecoms & Financial Services, Airwave

Members in Airwave have today (Tuesday) overwhelmingly accepted a CWU-brokered pay deal that will see across-the-board rises of 2.9 per cent come into effect on April 1.

A staggering 100 per cent of members participating in a consultative ballot – on a 77 per cent turnout – voted ‘yes’ to the pay settlement, which is fully consolidated for virtually all CWU-represented grades and flows though to call out rates and shift allowances.

Even a handful of members at the emergency services’ secure communications provider who are already paid above the maximum for their scale and are not on protected salaries under the post-NewGRID pay structure  will receive a cash sum paid monthly equivalent to 2.9 per cent of their annual wage.

Assistant secretary John East told The Voice: “In forceful negotiations the CWU made it clear to Airwave management from the outset that we expected a rise that rewarded employees for their contribution to the company’s considerable success over the past year .

“With the company accepting that its results over the last financial year have ‘beaten all expectations’, the union’s negotiating team was adamant that any offer that failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living would be unacceptable to the CWU – despite the fact that average pay settlements are pretty depressed at present.

“After some very tough talking, following early indications from the company that this year’s pay settlement was likely to be much lower than we have ultimately achieved, the company’s full and final offer of  nearly 3 per cent is broadly in line with current CPI inflation levels and well within the upper quartile of pay settlements nationally.

“The overwhelming endorsement of the deal in our consultative ballot, let alone the highly complimentary feedback we have received from many members, has vindicated the CWU’s assessment that this was the very best we could have secured by negotiation.”