Members will have seen the company’s recent communication entitled “Customer Management April 2020 Real Living Wage & Pay Update”. This explains Capita’s current position on pay for 2020 and how they intend to take forward negotiations with the unions.
Prospect were consulted by the business shortly before this message was issued. Whilst we applaud the company for honouring their commitment on low-pay, by implementing the real living wage of £9.30, we are clearly concerned at the confused message for members who fall above what is now the minimum pay level in Capita. You will have seen from the note that Capita have imposed an arbitrary figure of £28,000 a year as the level at which negotiations on pay will be deferred. However, despite what the note implies there is no firm commitment on when negotiations will begin for those below that level.
The union fully accepts that these are difficult times for all employers. Indeed, the Covid-19 crisis has seen millions of workers furloughed or thrown out of work. Therefore, it is welcome to see the vast majority of our members in Capita continuing in work. However, it should not mean issues around pay differentials and falling real-terms pay for our members remain unaddressed, particularly as the economy begins to return to something approaching normality. Therefore, the union has made it clear to Capita that we still expect negotiations to take place on pay once the immediate crisis is over. Our members are doing a vital job in helping to keep the country connected at this difficult time and their contribution should not be forgotten.
Remote Working
The union understands that in both O2 and Tesco Mobile the company have been making strenuous efforts to move as much of the operation as possible to home working. Again the union welcomes this as it not only protects our members’ health, but also protects their jobs and income. However, there has been some feedback from members about the implementation of working from home. One issue has been the number of calls managers are required to make to team members every day, particularly for those managing teams up to 25 in number. The company agreed to look again at the guidance they issued to ensure it was proportionate. Another issue was around managers having to use their own phones and data allowances on company business. Capita accepted that no-one should be out-of-pocket as a result of working from home. Therefore, if you do feel you are suffering a financial detriment then please let your manager know and the company have given a commitment that they will address this.
Finally, thank you to members for your continued support for the union at this difficult time. In turn we are determined to continue support our members and fight for their jobs during this unprecedented crisis. Stay safe and do not hesitate to contact us if you require any advice.