Unite union members at finance outsourcer Diligenta have voted to accept a pay deal following a dispute over pay rises, ending strike action that caused disruption across multiple UK sites. According to Unite, staff employed by finance sector outsourcer Diligenta took industrial action following the refusal of their employer to give them an 'acceptable pay rise' for 2025. The strike action resulted in considerable disruption to Diligenta's many clients when over 1,000 Unite members working at Diligenta sites in Liverpool, Glasgow, Reading, Edinburgh and Stirling walked out.
Workers first went on strike back in November, setting up large picket lines outside the Diligenta office on Old Hall Street. The agreement follows 14 days of strike action by staff employed by finance sector outsourcer Diligenta. The dispute began after the company declined to offer what workers considered to be a fair pay rise for 2025.
Unite argued that Diligenta's current pay offer amounted to a real-terms pay cut despite the company making profits and rewarding shareholders. 1m the same year. 9m while revenue increased to its highest ever at £606m.
2024 saw a shareholder dividend payment of £14m to the parent company TCS, which is a billion-dollar company. Unite argued this dividend could have funded a 5% increase for all staff, but instead Diligenta has offered a pay rise below the retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation, amounting to a real-terms pay cut. In an update this morning (Tuesday, March 10), Unite announced members had voted to accept a pay deal following 'an intense period of negotiations'.
The multi-year pay offer will cover 2025, 2026 and 2027. The pay deal is linked to inflation, includes an additional day of leave annually and a commitment to full pay transparency across all Diligenta workplaces. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'Unite members at Diligenta have won their pay battle against an employer who attempted to ignore their anger at real terms pay cuts.
By standing together Unite members have made it clear that fair pay is their basic right.