Unions claim £6/hour rise in basic craft rate

Building and civil engineering unions in the private sector will be targeting a phased increase in the basic craft rate from £9 to £15 per hour when formal negotiations open tomorrow (Thursday) at the Construction Industry Joint Council (CIJC).

The unions said the ongoing demand for skilled labour justifies a two-thirds increase in the minimum rate. Their 2006 pay claim seeks a "substantial" increase. It adds that an hourly craft rate of £15 is "not unreasonable".

The main construction claim proposes a settlement lasting at least two years. It says the unions are prepared to consider another three-year deal when the current agreement expires in June.

The operative shopping list also includes a reduction in the working week to 37 hours.

The claim further includes a demand for an extra two days holiday entitlement, a review of bonus rates, a fixed link between apprentice pay and adult rates, an increase in death benefit and improvements to sick pay – including amending the qualifying period. It proposes following up the pilot project run by the B&CE benefits company and building the automatic inclusion of workers in the EasyBuild stakeholder pension scheme as part of the national agreement.

The claim has been submitted to the Construction Confederation on behalf of 600,000 operatives led by UCATT, the TGWU and the GMB. A parallel claim under the Building and Allied Trades Joint Industry Council agreement is also understood to have been submitted to the Federation of Master Builders by the TGWU.

The previous long-term CIJC agreement was signed in 2003. It saw the craft basic rate hoisted by a record 23.3% over the three-year period.

That in turn followed a three-year settlement in 2000 that increased the craft minimum by 20.6%.