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Engineering workers to vote on national 12.75% wage deal
1 July 2022 / News
Workers at BAE Systems are set to vote on deal worth 12.75% over two years after talks between the company and unions ended with an agreement this week.
Unions are recommending members accept an offer of 6.75% and a £1000 bonus for 2022, with a further 6% and £1000 bonus for 2023.
The ballot, which takes place next month, will cover 28,000 UK employees of the defence company across the whole of the UK and 21 different bargaining units.
The negotiates were led by the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU) on behalf of Unite, GMB and Prospect at the company.
CSEU General Secretary, Ian Waddell, commented, “This was the first time we have ever negotiated pay at national level with BAE Systems, but the unprecedented cost of living crisis we are facing called for an unprecedented response. Our members are highly skilled people doing difficult jobs and deserve recognition of that in their pay packets. The talks were difficult and intense, but I believe this offer is fair and will go a long way towards meeting the challenges of rising inflation, fuel bills and energy costs for our members.”
Negotiations took place over several days and involved officials and representatives of all the unions covering the UK workforce, meeting with senior BAE Systems managers.
Mr Waddell said,“This offer demonstrates the importance of collective bargaining. By pooling their resources all of the 21 bargaining groups have achieved a better outcome, faster than they could have done if they had acted alone. It is a clear signal that workers acting together are stronger. For anyone facing the cost-of-living crisis on their own, my advice is join a union.”
