Mercedes Benz pay win

The vehicle technician workforce at Mercedes Benz Retail Group (MBRG) were today (January 19) celebrating a pay package that sees a 13 per cent pay hike for 2022, after the management had originally offered no pay rise.

Unite the union said the 185 workers at the MBRG sites – Brentford, Brooklands, Colindale, Croydon, Heathrow, Loughton, Temple Fortune, Stratford and Watford – have accepted the offer. The four days of strike action due to be held next week have been called off and the technicians are working normally.

The package that covers the vast majority of the bargaining units means a £500 lump sum (equivalent of 1.5 per cent of pay) for 2021. For this year, a pay restructuring sees 10 per cent moved from the bonus scheme into contractual basic pay, consolidated for future years – with also a three per cent increase for 2022 on top of the new basic pay rates.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “On a day that the rate of inflation reached new highs, this 13 per cent pay increase for 2022 is a significant victory in Unite’s continuing campaign to ensure that our members across the UK don’t fall behind in the cost of living crisis.

“It shows that MBRG, owned by the highly profitable Daimler AG, was well able to dip into its deep corporate pockets, after two years of pay freezes, to fund this package for our members.”

Unite regional officer Clare Keogh added, “I would like to thank our members for the solidarity they have shown which greatly contributed to the acceleration from a zero pay offer to one that recognises their dedication and hard work during the two years of the pandemic. Unite looks forward to a constructive and positive dialogue with management as we move forward.”

Unite is dedicated to advancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and will fight back against any efforts to diminish workers’ living standards.

By Shaun Noble