Wot No Back Pay?!

Posted in Tubeworker's blog on ,
Pay slip

We were due a new pay settlement in April 2019. Consequently we're now all owed more than a year's back pay, following the agreement of a new deal in late March, amounting to RPI+0.2% for four years (2.7% in year one). The company is currently saying that the back pay will be paid in June or July's pay packets. Whatever administrative challenges there are to getting this sorted, for it to take three pay packets after the agreement of a deal for the company to pay what it owes is not on, especially given the current adverse circumstances in which workers are continuing to deliver an essential service.

And LU isn't even paying the back pay to everyone who's due it. The company has announced that anyone who leaves (e.g., through retirement, medical termination, etc.) prior to the point of the new deal being paid (so, in June or July) won't get any back pay at all! A fine way to thank people for their service! LU is using its own tardiness on paying back pay to pinch a few pennies and exclude people from the pay deal.

As far as we're concerned, whether they've left LU or not is immaterial; the rate for the job has been retroactively increased, so anyone employed by LU from April 2019 onwards, even if they've since retired or left, should be entitled to back pay. Our unions must demand this policy is reversed.

Two lessons here: one, our employers are spendthrifts who won't think twice about pinching pennies, even if it means screwing over the people whose labour they relied on to run the service and generate revenue. And two, when pay disputes drag on, it's rarely to our benefit. Submitting our claim and balloting for action to win it much earlier could well have secured a settlement well before now. Let's be quicker out the blocks in future.

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Comments

Submitted by Tim Butcher (not verified) on Mon, 11/05/2020 - 22:12

I have been waiting for the agreement to retire now, I will go immediately. Poke your job

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