TV licensing workers strike over pay

Hundreds of TV licensing employees are staging a 24-hour strike today in a dispute over pay.

More than 500 staff at sites in Darwen, Lancashire, and Bristol are taking part in the action, which follows a ballot by members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU).

The CWU said that the strike "will bring TV Licensing call centres to a standstill throughout the day". It comes after workers had been offered a below inflation pay rise of 2.6% following a two-year pay freeze.

Employers Capita claimed that workers had received a "good and fair offer" in light of the economic climate, but CWU said that staff were determined to get a "fair deal'.

CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said: "Our members at Capita TV Licensing are facing a pay cut in real terms from a company which makes millions in profit every year. We're asking for a simple improvement in their pay offer which at 2.6% is almost half the rate of inflation.

"The last thing our members want is strikes, but the employer has left people with no choice. They are facing increased food, energy and transport bills and work for a company which can afford to reward its staff with fair wages.

"Even at this late stage, I call on Capita to drop its intransigence, come back to negotiations and resolve this dispute. But make no mistake, our members are determined to win a fair deal and if we strike - we strike solid and we strike to win."

A Capita spokeswoman said that the company believed the pay offer was fair, particularly as many other private sector organisations were introducing pay freezes.

She added: "We are therefore disappointed that staff are taking industrial action but have taken measures to help ensure that we continue to offer a good level of service during the action to minimise the impact on customers."

TV Licensing maintains a database of the UK households with a valid TV licence, and also enforces collection of the fees, which provide the BBC's income. The strike started at 7.30am BST.

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