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Pay 2022: Cost of Living Pay Rise
Pay 2022 Campaign Archive
Less than three months after the implementation of the 2022 pay rise, NatWest were forced to cave to pressure from Unite and implement an unprecedented out of cycle pay rise. The Unite demand had been for a pay rise for all workers. This, the bank adamantly refused and instead proceeded with giving a pay rise only to those earning above an arbitrary figure.
What this cost of living pay rise showed very clearly was that the sub-par pay rises that they had proposed for Pay 2022 had not adequately protected workers from increases in living costs. The pay rise was ultimately sub par and a further cost of living payment would be required only a few months after that.
This newsletter was first published in July 2022.
Unite wins cost of living pay rise for lowest paid
Following calls from Unite the union, NatWest has agreed to give the lowest paid staff across the bank a 4 per cent salary increase. The pressures faced by all staff across the bank as the costs of living continues to go up led to the union campaigning for improvements in pay.
Unite members in NatWest have been reporting in large numbers to the union that the increases in costs of food, fuel and energy has brought huge financial pressures on them and their families.
In June Unite National Officer, Caren Evans, formally requested on behalf of staff at NatWest that the bank take action.
Unite win a pay rise!
Your Unite pay team have worked closely with the bank to agree a pay deal that benefits the lowest paid and hardest hit by the cost of living crisis. The union has secured the following deal and welcomes the pay rise which is preferable to a one-off payment:
- A 4% increase to base salary for all staff earning a full time equivalent (FTE) salary of £32,000 or less in GB.
- Includes a 4% uplift to all grade A-C salary ranges which ensures those who receive an increase maintain their current position in scale.
- Takes effect from September’s pay.
- Is separate, and in addition to, the annual pay negotiation process that will take place in Q4.
- A similar approach will be applied to our members in RBSI who work in the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Gibraltar.
Unite welcomes this win for some 17,300 staff at NatWest. Unite will continue to press for a pay increase for the remaining employees who also need support during these challenging financial times.
Unite response to the win for workers
Caren Evans, Unite national officer, said:
“Unite has today won an extra 4 per cent pay increase for those in NatWest who are facing the largest hardship as the costs of living increase. The bank have responded to the union’s demands about the impact that the cost of living is having on the lowest paid. The union welcomes the pay rise which is preferable to a one-off payment.
“While the bank’s offer does not meet in full all that Unite requested, this is an important first step. Unite will continue to press for a pay increase for the remaining employees who also need support during these challenging financial times.”
Let us hear from you
Members can contact the Unite information point at rbsinfo@unitetheunion.org.
Further reading
- Read the Pay 2022 pay offer.
- Learn about the second cost of living pay rise here.
- Read up on our 2026 campaign on the Isle of Man cost of living crisis.
[…] solution, however, was divisive. Rather than pay all workers a pay rise as Unite had demanded, NatWest chose an arbitrary figure of £32,000 and paid the rise only to those earning below that figure, leaving many workers struggling with no […]