Electricity blackouts possible as power grid workers announce strikes
About 1,300 workers responsible for the electricity grid for London have voted to strike.
The workers have organised to protest against the 8.3 per cent pay rise offered by the UK Power Networks (UKNP) for 2022.
The electricity infrastructure company says it offered a “projected” 18 per cent pay rise alongside other benefits, including an increase in annual leave allowance, and further paternity leave.
Normally the power grid workers are offered an annual wage increase that meets or exceeds Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation.
But the Unite union, which has organised the strike, claims the deal is not worth 18 per cent because it is a two-year offer and there is no way to know what the rate of inflation will be next year.
The Unite union balloted its members on the offer on Monday and announced that the offer had been rejected.
A spokeswoman from UKPN said: “We believe our record offer of a projected 18 per cent pay rise and additional benefits is a fair and generous one.”
RPI inflation currently stands at 13.4 per cent, meaning UKNP’s current offer is a real terms pay cut, according to the union.
The offer is also conditional on the workers’ acceptance of a below RPI inflation pay deal for 2023. This means their wages spending power would be reduced twice in two years.
Its latest financial report shows UKPN made £264m up to March 2022, The chief executive of UKPN, Basil Scarsella, was paid an annual salary of £2.3m.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “UKPN’s profiteering, which has seen it continue to rake in astronomical profits as millions of families dread the arrival of their next energy bill, is a prime example of why Britain’s economy is broken.
“UK Power Networks can afford to put forward an acceptable offer and this is what needs to happen.”
The union said details of strike action will be made known in the coming days.
During the strikes, maintenance and repair of the electricity grid will be disrupted, including restoring power after any blackouts.
(Picture: Rawpixel)
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