IT staff battle with Barclays

Management and IT unions row over Y2K bonuses

Barclays? management and IT unions are rowing for the second time in six months as unions demand an across-the-board year 2000 bonus for IT staff, plus a ?substantial? pay increase, writes Steven Mathieson.

The negotiations follow strikes last autumn, when the bank?s 1,500 unionised IT staff walked out over alleged low pay. Analysts and programmers finally secured pay rises in November of about 10% on average.

Before negotiations began on Monday, Jim Lowe, assistant secretary for union Bifu, said he didn?t want Barclays to award undemocratic year 2000 bonuses to a few elite staff. ?We?re looking for a bonus for everybody,? he said.

At Barclays? annual pay talks, the bank refused to consider a collective scheme. ?That is not part of the annual round, as far as we?re concerned,? said a representative, adding that the bank had no need for such a bonus.

?At the moment we don?t have significant recruitment problems,? she said, claiming that Barclays? staff turnover, at 6.5% a year, is half the industry average.

Bifu said it was also looking for a substantial pay rise, and has rejected Barclays? initial offer of basic salary rises of between 3.25% and 5.5%, depending on grade.

?The unions haven?t actually quantified what they?re looking for,? complained a Barclays? representative.

But a newsletter on the negotiations from Bifu?s Lowe and Patrick Eraut of sister union Unifi said: ?The bank failed to respond positively on every item except movement in BAR [basic] salaries? As a consequence many IT staff will get pensionable pay increases below the rate of inflation.?

The bank and the two unions will continue negotiations next week.