RR Donnelley pay offer out to ballot
Telecoms & Financial Services March 19 2019Members conducting outsourced mailroom, digital imaging and printroom functions across Santander are being urged to accept a CWU-brokered 2.4 per cent pay offer in a series of workplace ballots, which will take place tomorrow (Wednesday).
Following protracted talks with RR Donnelley management – which began with the company insisting there was little money for a pay rise this year – the deal now before members represents a breakthrough in the union’s long-held ambition to secure a pay rise for ALL staff on April 1, no matter their current salary.
Assistant secretary John East explains: “ Since 2016 we’ve had to operate a two-stage process, with those staff originally employed by Geoban getting a pay rise in April – but those on Pitney Bowes, Swiss Post or RR Donnelley contracts having to wait for the announcement of the Real Living Wage in November to get their rise.
“That stemmed from the CWU’s success getting Santander to pay sub-contractors, as well as its own staff, the Real Living Wage as a minimum – but ever since then we’ve argued it would be preferable for there to be a single April 1 pay date….and this year RR Donnelley has finally agreed .
“As a result, the deal that members will be casting their verdict on tomorrow applies equally across the whole workforce – with anyone paid at the rate of the Real Living wage receiving their rise seven months earlier than expected.
“Even if the Real Living Wage increases by more than 2.4 per cent in November – something the CWU believes is unlikely – RR Donnelley will, in line with the rules of the Living Wage Foundation, have to bring salary levels above that level at the next pay date, which will be in April 202O.
“Getting this increase seven months early therefore represents a major improvement for people on the Real Living Wage, with no detriment whatsoever for the ex-Geoban population. As such the CWU negotiation team has no hesitation in recommending a deal that we believe is good news all round – not least because we’ve ensured that all colleagues are treated equally in the future.”
Assuming the fully consolidated 2.4 per cent pay offer is accepted by members in tomorrow’s workplace ballots in Bootle, Bradford and Carlton Park, the rise will be implemented in April salaries.
In addition to the across-the-board CWU-negotiated pay offer, staff who were previously employed by Geoban at Bootle and Carlton Park have a contractual entitlement to a non-consolidated bonus. Although the level of that bonus falls outside the union’s collective bargaining remit, the CWU always argues the case for the bonus pot to be split equally – and this year RR Donnelly has agreed to pay a flat rate bonus of £205.