HP workers secure minimum salary of £15,500

Hewlett Packard workers, and members of the Public and Commerical Services Union (PCS) working on several big government contracts such as those with the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Work and Pensions, have voted to accept a pay offer from HP guaranteeing a minimum salary of £15,500.

The acceptance of the pay offer will see workers of government contracts awarded a minimum rise of 2.5 per cent this year, with a rise of the same amount offered again in February 2012.

The deal will see a minimum salary of £15,500, although some types of staff will receive higher minimum salaries.

However, not all workers will be provided with the pay increase, it will only apply to those that have submitted votes in favour of collective bargaining with the PCS. The pay increases were subsequently negotiated by the union.

Those workers that hadn't already opted in prior to the negotiations are ineligible for this year's increase but could decide to opt in for February's 2.5 per cent increase.

"We now have to convince colleagues of the merits of opting in to collective bargaining, build on our collective strength, and begin to determine our priorities on pay for 2013." said Peter Olech, a PCS officer who was involved in the negotiations with HP. "These pay negotiations will begin in earnest next year."