Big ‘yes’ vote in landmark EE pay ballot

EE

Members in EE have overwhelmingly accepted the first pay offer in the company’s history to have been subject to consultation with a trade union.

No less than 83 per cent of members who cast their vote in an electronic ballot gave the thumbs up to the CWU-brokered package. Never before has pay been subject to consultation with a union at EE. Neither have employees ever before been given the opportunity to give their verdict on pay rises via a ballot.

Thanking members for backing the union’s recommendation of the deal by such a wide margin, assistant secretary John East said: “This is a massive endorsement of the first negotiated pay deal at EE, and represents a watershed moment in the CWU’s long-running efforts to forge an all-new industrial relationship with EE now that the mobile giant is a BT subsidiary.

“Following the outcome of the vote intense discussions are taking place on the details of a formal recognition agreement, with both sides intent on reaching a conclusion in the near future.

Full details of the EE pay settlement for 2019 were provided to members in advance of the ballot and a series of workplace meetings were held on every EE call centre sites to explain it. “In summary, the  deal, which we believe is complicated, secures many of the union’s key objectives for the pay round, even though individuals’ rises are calculated using the methodology traditionally used by EE that the CWU believes needs re-examining,” continues John.

“As such, we’ve been particularly pleased to secure, as part of this year’s settlement, a firm commitment from EE for an urgent joint review of the use of the so-called ‘Quintile’ system for future pay reviews –  opening up the genuine possibility of us being able to simplify and improve the salary review process in the future.”

“Taken in conjunction with the solid progress being made towards a formal recognition agreement, this is a promising time for the union’s future relationship with EE.”