TV Licensing workers in pay strike
Hundreds of TV Licensing workers walked out on Monday 17th October in a dispute over pay as management refuses to improve a below-inflation pay offer.
Over 500 staff took part in the action in Bristol and Darwen which brought TV Licensing call centres to a standstill throughout the day. Staff are seeking an improved pay offer after no pay increase for nearly two years.
CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said: “Our members at Capita TV Licensing are facing a pay cut in real terms from a company which makes millions in profit every year. We’re asking for a simple improvement in their pay offer which at 2.6 per cent is almost half the rate of inflation.
“The last thing our members want is strikes, but the employer has left people with no choice. They are facing increased food, energy and transport bills and work for a company which can afford to reward its staff with fair wages.
“Even at this late stage, I call on Capita to drop its intransigence, come back to negotiations and resolve this dispute.
“But make no mistake, our members are determined to win a fair deal and if we strike – we strike solid and we strike to win.”
Staff have become increasingly frustrated after the company refused to raise pay last year. The current offer of £550 and £600 for 2010 and 2011 respectively – worth 2.6 to 2.7 per cent for higher grades – falls far short of retail price index levels, which have averaged 5 per cent since April 2010.
Workers across the UK, working on the BBC TV licensing contract, including two main sites at Darwen (Lancashire) and Bristol, are planning strike action which will see TV licensing brought to a nationwide halt.
