Pay 2019: ballot launch

Pay 2019 & 2020 Campaign Archive

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 results in a decade, their ‘best offer’ fell well short of these modest amounts in both years.

This newsletter covers the bank’s offer in detail and and launches a ballot of Unite members. Looking back, there are some interesting elements to this offer. Unite had secured agreement with the bank to ‘explore potential changes to the reward management approach at RBS in time for the 2021 pay review.’ We have no records of any substantive meetings on this topic and no material changes were made.

Of particular interest, however, is the ‘potential for review.’ Had there been a ‘significant and substantial economic event’ change in the economy prior to implementation of the 2020 part of the offer, it is interesting to consider whether the bank and Unite would have jointly considered it so. The Pay 2026 deal agreed by Unite members contained an inflation clause stating if the CPI inflation measure exceeded 3.8% for two consecutive months, the bank and the union would meet to discuss a suitable intervention for workers. The wording was far clearer than the 2019/2020 offer and, almost immediately, inflation for the Isle of Man exceeded that threshold peaking at 4.9% and remained above 3.8% for over five months. The bank, however, reneged on the agreement and point blank refused to negotiate an intervention for workers on the Isle of Man.

This newsletter was first published in December 2018.

Unite in RBS: Pay Ballot 2019 & 2020

Unite, your trade union in RBS, is calling on members to vote to accept the result of this year’s pay settlement which will cover both 2019 and 2020. Cast your vote.

About the deal

Following substantial negotiations between the Unite pay team and the bank, the proposed pay settlement is a two-year deal. The settlement includes both the pay underpin and a cash payment. This represents an improvement on the deal secured last year.

Pay Matrices for 2019 and 2020

In 2019 all employees on a matrix with a performance rating of 3, 4 or 5 who are within range will get a minimum award of £450 pro rata. In 2020 the underpin will be £475 pro rata for clerical and appointed employees with a performance rating of 3, 4 or 5.

Clerical or appointed employees with a performance rating of 3, 4 or 5 and are paid above the maximum of the salary range will receive a one-off cash payment of £350, £375 or £400 (FTE) for 3, 4 and 5 rating colleagues, respectively. This will be received in April 2019.

For 2020 (effective April) the amounts will be £375, £400 and £425 (FTE) for 3, 4 and 5 performers respectively.

[We are in the process of locating the matrices for this historic pay offer. Please bear with us while we search out archive.]

Potential for review

In the event of what both parties would jointly consider to be a significant and substantial economic event, the parties agree to review the 2020 pay settlement in good time prior to its implementation. Furthermore, the parties also agree to explore potential changes to the reward management approach at RBS, in time for the 2021 pay review.

Recommendation

Your negotiating team are satisfied that this proposed settlement represents a concrete improvement in terms of both the underpin and cash payment on the deal secured last year. It will also provide an improved settlement for members in 2020.

On this basis, the Unite in RBS National Committee recommends this final pay offer for 2019 and 2020 to members. Please vote to support this deal.

(Please note: Only Unite members may vote in this pay ballot. If you are not a member of Unite you can join here: www.unitetheunion.org/join. All private information will remain confidential).

In Solidarity,

Unite in RBS Pay Team

John Peake, Pretpal Singh, Stephen McCauley, Gill Cairns, David Ratcliffe

Further reading

  • Compare the offer with the Unite 2019 Pay Claim.
  • The next update confirmed the results of the pay ballot.