Staff manning UK operator Three UK’s retail stores have been given pay rises across the board.

Customer advisors working in stores outside London will get a 10.1% pay increase,  which means their wages rise to £11.15, while those based in London stores will see their hourly rate go up by 8.1% to £12.32.

The pay bumps are effective from January 1^st 2023 and taking into account an increase from a year ago Three boasts that hourly pay outside London has grown 23.7% and 16.8% in London since December 2021. All in all it apparently effects 2500 workers.

For the rest of the company, all staff earning less than £30k per annum will receive a ‘one-off cost of living payment of £500’ and the head office will see pay increase by an average of 7%.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues for their hard work – especially during a particularly busy time in the lead up to Christmas,” said Mark Redmond, Chief People Officer for Three UK. “They are the backbone of our company, and it is right that we reward them for their efforts.”

It doesn’t specifically mention it, but it seems obvious to conclude this was made with the dramatically high levels of inflation in mind that has led staff across the country who have a union to launch campaigns of strikes.

2022 has been a tough year for BT management on that front, with the months of on and off strikes making the mainstream press.  BT and the Communication Workers Union eventually came to an agreement at the end of November with a deal that in essence means workers who earn £50,000 or less will get a £1,500 pay rise as of January next year. The pay hike is being given to all the frontline staff, 51% of managers and all in all covers 85% of UK-based BT Group employees. These workers will now effectively be £3000 a year better off as they already received a £1500 blanket pay jump in April.

The whole affair got particularly nasty with the CWU describing a ‘culture of fear’ at the telco, and BT hitting back at the ‘reckless’ 999 call handler strikes. But the root cause of all this is an issue that effects everyone regardless of what sector they work in, and as the gloomy financial outlook isn’t showing much outward signs of clearing up anytime soon, the arithmetic of how much employees are paid in relation to the soaring costs of products and utilities is going to be something all business are going have to deal with in some way shape or form in 2023.

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