Taylor Wimpey has moved to reduce the pay of around 50 directly employed joiners and scaffolders in the North East after a regular pay audit found that their earnings were nearly 25% higher than those in comparable roles. The reported difference was mainly due to higher bonuses.
The workers have been asked to sign new contracts on reduced terms. Taylor Wimpey describes the affected group as a small number of Direct Labour roles whose current terms and conditions were significantly ahead of comparable rates and therefore required review. The company’s statement does not set out the proposed pay rates for individual roles or the size of the reduction for each worker.
Unite has criticised the company’s approach. Greg Robson, a regional officer for the union, said Taylor Wimpey had serious questions to answer about how it had treated the workers. He said Unite would continue to support affected members, press the company for information to which the union is entitled and examine all avenues to fight the change, including industrial action.
Taylor Wimpey said the review formed part of a regular benchmarking exercise in its North East business. It said the consultation process had been concluded fairly and openly and that it had consulted ACAS. A grievance has since been raised under the Construction Joint Industry Council Working Rule Agreement. The company said it was committed to engaging fully with employees before a final resolution is reached, with a number of potential outcomes still under consideration, and that it wanted all employees treated fairly and consistently.
The dispute remains unresolved. For the workers, the immediate question is whether they accept reduced contractual terms; for the company, the task is to complete the grievance procedure while responding to union opposition.