Unite, Britain’s biggest union, has armed its members with a powerful online weapon in the fight for increased pay and a fair share of company profits amid the worst pay stagnation since the Napoleonic Wars.
Across the economy, real wages have fallen 4.4 per cent between the end of 2007 and 2017, but company profits have grown from 11.4 per cent to 12.6 per cent over the same period.
Unite’s new online tool will mean that in just a few minutes, union reps can arm themselves with the latest financial information and help prevent employers from claiming that pay increases are not affordable.
At the click of a mouse, the tool allows union reps to gather the latest up to date information from Companies House, the Office for National Statistics and the union’s own database containing the details of tens of thousands of pay deals.
The online tool then guides union reps through the potential workplace issues union members want raised as part of their pay negotiations, and within minutes, the tool creates a professional and comprehensive pay and conditions claim including the most up to date information on their company’s financial performance, ability to pay, the latest economic indicators and pay deals at comparator companies by sector and postcode.
The Pay Claim Generator was designed as part of Unite’s industrial strategy, entitled ‘Work, Voice, Pay’, which is about empowering union members by giving them the tools and support in the workplace to help them win at work.
Sharon Graham, executive officer, said: “Unite is working with members to ensure they have the best tools, information and representation to increase their pay and conditions. Unite’s Pay Claim Generator will help stop employers from claiming pay rises are not affordable where they clearly are.
“Over the last decade, pay has shrunk while company profits are up, and corporation tax is down. Workers deserve their fair share of the profits they created.
“Unite has secured some great pay deals at companies like Rolls Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, Thomas Cook and Virgin because workers do better when they are in a union. Unite’s ‘Work, Voice, Pay’ strategy is about working with members to help them win at work.”
Unite is a union that campaigns for and delivers better pay and conditions for its members. Unite is winning at work based on three core values. Secure Work: fighting for jobs and job security, Strong Voice: a union which is a respected voice at work and Decent Pay: a union focussed on pay and conditions.
The Pay Claim Generator is available here.
For a handy guide on using the Pay Claim Generator click here.
