Deal includes element backdated to April 2021
Union to seek further increase in 2024
October 24th: Unite, which represents Mitie employees working as cleaners at Haleon sites in Dungarvan, today (Tuesday) said it had secured a 10.4% pay boost to the 2022/23 real Living Wage of €13.85 per hour. The union will be entering a new round of pay talks in February 2024, when it will be seeking the new real Living Wage of €14.80 per hour.
The real Living Wage is calculated each year by the Living Wage Technical Group, to which Unite is affiliated, and is based on the cost of a basket of goods and services required to maintain a minimum essential standard of living.
The deal negotiated by Unite includes a 2% increase on pay from the 1st April 2021, another 2.5% increase on pay from the 1st of April 2022, with the increase to the real Living Wage of €13.85 per hour backdated to 1st of July 2023.
The backdating elements of the deal mean that members will receive lump sums of between €2500 and €3000 based on working a 39-hour week over the relevant period.
Commenting, Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said:
“This is a significant pay boost for Unite members employed by Mitie as cleaners in Dungarvan. The deal means our members will receive a real pay increase at a time when the lowest paid are being hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis.
“Mitie’s Haleon workforce achieved this deal by getting organised with Unite. Being organised in a union is the best way for workers in low-paid sectors such as contract cleaning to improve their jobs, pay and conditions.”
Unite Regional Officer Rob Kelly added:
“The real Living Wage, which is significantly above the statutory wage floor and based on the real costs faced by workers, is a benchmark of decency and Unite looks forward to securing a further pay uplift for our members based on the new Living Wage next year”.
Unite the Union, Ireland Region 