Amey - Have your say on July 2023 pay offer

Amey - Have your say on July 2023 pay offer

All TSSA members employed by Amey Rail are invited to have a say on the company's improved offer of 7% on pay and agreed allowances, underpinned by a minimum salary increase of £2,300, backdated to 1 March 2023.

Have your say on Amey pay!

This survey will close at 09:00 on Wednesday 9 August.

Thanks to members who gave a strong mandate to reject Amey's previous offer of 6% , your reps have secured an improved deal of at least 7% on pay and allowances, underpinned by a minimum increase of £2,300 applicable to salaries below £32,857.

Your reps have agreed that this constitutes the best deal available to members through negotiation. Any further improvement is only likely to be achievable through an effective campaign of industrial action by members.

TSSA members are invited to vote on the offer to give your reps a mandate to formally accept or reject the deal. 

To view the offer in full, click here

For more information, please speak to your TSSA Representatives. 

Key elements of the offer, set out by Amey, are as follows:

• 7% annual pay award with an underpin of £2,300 pro-rated where appropriate to be applied to basic salary plus agreed allowances to be backdated to 1st March 2023. This is an improved offer from last year’s agreed award, and represents a minimum 13% increase over 2 years.
• Commitment to no compulsory redundancies. We are still in the process of reviewing our contractual commitments and resourcing levels and some progress has been made in this area. At this time we are able to offer the a commitment of no compulsory redundancies for Rail Operations till the 1st March 2024. The no compulsory redundancy date for Consulting Rail is currently under review and we shall confirm our position once this review has been completed.
• Commitment to the training and development of all employees. We are currently in the process of launching our Professional and Engineering framework within Transport Infrastructure and the testing of an electronic database, to ensure such opportunities are made available to all employees. Once this has been reviewed, Amey will be happy to share the framework and new process.
• Commitment to review Amey’s policies, including family friendly, flexible working and maternity/paternity policies. Amey are happy to share the current policies and welcome any suggested changes.

Company News

TSSA Reps resolve long-running Rope Access allowance problems

Your reps within CEFA (Civil Engineering Framework Agreement) have been campaigning against the injustice of roped access allowance rates for structures examiners having been frozen for at least a decade.

While other agreed allowances such as COSS payments have increased in line with inflation as we negotiate annual pay deals, the cost of living crisis devalued roped access payments to the extent that they failed to offer an adequate incentive to undertake physically demanding work in challenging conditions.

Contracts were drafted unilaterally, before TSSA was recognised for collective bargaining, without any controls over the amount of work required by individuals in return for the annual allowance, leading to perceived unfairness and inequality. Ultimately, without a fair reward for the work, the devaluing effect of soaring inflation meant that Amey would likely lose the ability to recruit and retain qualified roped access examiners and have to subcontract at greater cost and less control over work standards, weakening the company position in a competitive market.

With the support of experienced members being co-opted to help a joint working group, the company agreed an improved set of terms and conditions that mean roped access allowances will rise in line with agreed pay deals, including backpay to resolve historic injustice. Examiners will receive additional payments for extra roped access examinations each year to reward the value of holding the competency as well as the volume of work undertaken.

Your reps decided to collectively agree the contract terms. Eligible individuals are now being given the choice to sign up to the new terms on an individual basis.

Despite long-running frustrations at the lack of progress, reps and members were determined to find a mutually beneficial solution and showed patience and professionalism. Their persistent approach eventually found a receptive audience in the company and through a commitment to joint working, established a case study of effective industrial relations.

Your union will continue to support members to ensure that terms and conditions are fair, now turning to injustices and issues affecting apprentices and graduates whose conditions appear to be a fudge of terms that are variously collectively negotiated and unilaterally imposed by the Amey group.

Please encourage any colleagues not already in a recognised union to join TSSA so that we can strengthen our support for members.