Prospect members at Ørsted accept pay offer with overwhelming vote

Prospect members at Ørsted, one of the world’s leading global offshore wind companies, have voted overwhelmingly to accept a pay offer from the company.

The offer amounts to:

• A flat rate consolidated basic pay increase on all rates effective from 1 November 2022 for all employees of £1,200.
• An exceptional one-off spot payment (non-consolidated) paid in November 2022 to all employees of £1,000
• An increase in Operational Flexibility Allowance (OFA) depending on wind technician grading

As a 3.5% pay increase had previously been awarded in June 2022, the total pay package equates to between 7.2% and 10.8%, depending on salary level and grades.

In the ballot with 85% turnout, Prospect members voted by 82% in favour of the offer, which the company had stressed would be their final one.

It was just in August that Prospect signed a landmark recognition agreement with Ørsted UK, that covers all employees involved in the operation and maintenance of its 12 UK offshore wind farms.

Prospect national secretary Steve Thomas said:

“After consulting with members, we entered negotiations for the first time with Ørsted. We rejected an initial lump sum payment offer as not being in line with members feedback and since then negotiated not only a lump sum payment, but a consolidated increase that members will benefit from year on year.

“While the offer does not match the current historically high levels of inflation, the offer compares well with other settlements across the energy sector and in the wider economy and is a significant improvement on the 3.5% implemented by the company in June 2022.”

Thomas added:

“As a union we have, in a short space of time, established a meaningful and professional set of negotiations where we have strongly represented members views and interests on the cost-of-living challenges.”