TV licence staff to strike over pay offer

Hundreds of TV licensing workers will stage a 24-hour strike today in a dispute over pay, which union leaders said would bring call centres to a standstill.

More than 500 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) working on the BBC TV licensing contract at sites in Darwen, in Lancashire, and Bristol will take action in protest at a below-inflation wage offer, which the union said followed a two-year pay freeze.

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 per cent is almost half the rate of inflation.

“The last thing our members want is strikes, but the employer has left people with no choice.”