THIS WEBSITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
All information should be considered a draft and links may not work as expected!
Pay 2019 & 2020 campaign archive
Pay 2019 & 2020 Campaign Archive
Negotiations for Pay 2019 saw the bank present a two-year deal covering both 2019 and 2020. With a multi-year deal, the union and an employer negotiate the pay rises that will happen across several pay cycles. Members then vote on the whole package and no further pay negotiations or pay ballots happen in the subsequent years of the offer. There can be risks associated with a multi-year deal for both parties – an employer might agree a deal in a high inflationary environment and end up paying a higher pay rise than rivals in year two if inflation recovers faster than predicted. Conversely, a union might agree a deal in a lower inflationary environment that sees members suffering real terms pay cuts if inflation unexpectedly climbs. Generally, negotiations are most accurate when they occur as close as possible to the implementation date of the deal.
Unite at NatWest have since taken a consistent stance that they will not negotiate multi year deals due to the inherent risk that members may suffer financially given the volatility of the global economy in recent years.
The links below show the key newsletters issued during the campaign for Pay 2019 and 2020:
Pay 2019 & 2020 newsletters
-
Pay 2019: Pay claim
When we came to research and write the Unite at NatWest Pay claim for Pay 2019, the bank (then known as RBS Group) had returned to profit for the first time since 2008 and had paid a modest dividend to shareholders also for the first time in almost a decade. The ‘Fair Pay’ claim that…
-
Pay 2019: ballot launch
Unite adjusted down their pay claim for 2019. In the previous year we had claimed for the greater of either £25 per week (£1,300 over the course of a year) or 5% for all workers. Our 2019 Fair Pay Claim demanded £600 or 4%, whichever was the greater. Despite the bank enjoying its strongest financial…
-
Pay 2019: Ballot closing
This newsletter published in December 2018 was a final push to drive members to vote in the pay ballot. While we allow non-members to complete our pay surveys as this allows the broadest possible spectrum of data and ultimately benefits members, we only allow Unite members to vote in a pay ballot. This is in…
-
Pay 2019: Ballot outcome
The two year deal was accepted by members with a comfortable majority seeing 84% of respondents back the Pay 2019 and 2020 pay offer. Within the context of the time and history of the company, this offer was undeniably embraced by members. It must be remembered, however, that this pay deal covered 2020 which saw…
-
Pay 2020: Second year of two year deal
During pay negotiations for Pay 2019, RBS Group (now known as NatWest Group) presented their proposals for a two year deal. The deal was ultimately accepted enthusiastically by members and covered pay years 2019 and 2020. While not known at the time of voting, 2020 would be the year in which the COVID-19 pandemic had…