Top 10 tips on negotiating the annual pay round

New pay figures from Income Data Services underline the challenging nature of this year’s annual pay rounds and reflect our firm’s experience. The figures show that pay rises are lagging far behind inflation and this, coupled with the squeeze on household income and rising unemployment is resulting in trade unions pushing harder than ever for what they see as “cost of living” increases. In contrast, employers could be hoping to secure either a low increase or a pay freeze, given current concerns over the economic recovery. Some practical tips may assist employers’ negotiation strategy for the weeks ahead.