A total of 600 workers employed by Babcock Marine have accepted a 7.5% basic pay rise backdated to August last year.
The employees, who undertake specialist services for the UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines at the Coulport and Faslane naval bases on the Clyde in Scotland, are members of trade union Unite.
The two-year pay deal will see them receive a £1,350 consolidated payment for a period of 12 months until the end of July 2025, which equates to an average increase of 3.95%. An increase of 15.8% will also be applied to specific shift allowances across the two-year deal. Babcock Marine has also committed to work on delivering a four-day working week based on 36 hours.
The employees overwhelmingly voted in support of taking strike action after they rejected a previous pay offer from their employer. The offer included a 7% rise in 2023 and 3% to be applied from August this year.
A Babcock Marine spokesperson said: “We are pleased that through constructive talks earlier this month, we were able to agree a pay deal with Unite at HMNB Clyde. We continue to work closely with all our trade unions and remain focused on delivering the safe, secure and expert support that our team is renowned for.”
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, added: “Unite’s membership at the Coulport and Faslane naval bases fully deserve credit for their resolve and standing firm until a better wage increase was secured. The two-year pay deal will deliver better jobs, pay and conditions, and it has the support of our 600-strong membership at Babcock Marine on the Clyde. We are currently working with Babcock Marine to deliver a four-day week, which will also significantly improve the working environment for our members at the naval bases.”
