Posted on: 9 April 2026

Dear Members,

Following you rejection of the previous pay offer your negotiating team have got back round the table and secured the following improved offer:

• An increase of 3.3% on all elements of pay except the first aider allowance and overtime pay

• The ‘Xmas box’ payment to be incorporated into core pay permanently. It is essential that this is done, as our new people IT system, being introduced later this year, is not configured to administer the Xmas box in its current format.
• A new, non-contractual bonus scheme, aligned with the staff and management bonus scheme with the following features:
• An annual scheme with 2 payments made in June and December of each year, but in all other aspects aligned to the Indirect colleagues’ scheme
• Bonus objectives based on overall business performance, not site specific, to ensure fairness and consistency
• This replaces the performance bonus scheme currently in place
• The maximum bonus will be a fixed amount and is increased to £5,750 per year from the current £4,912. This represents a 17% increase to bonus potential.
• To support colleagues transferring from the old bonus arrangements to the new scheme the following will be applied: A guaranteed bonus payment of £3,700 will be paid in 2026, with half paid in June and half paid in December
• An additional payment of £300 in respect of a bonus for the month of December 2025 from the old bonus scheme, which will be added to the above £3,700 and also paid across June and December. This additional £300 will apply to British Gypsum colleagues only, as Formula colleagues have already received a bonus covering December 2025.
• Therefore, the bonus payment for British Gypsum colleagues will be £2,000 in June 2026, and a further £2,000 in December 2026, a total of £4,000
• After this, all payments will be made based on the new ‘live’ bonus scheme, with payments made in June and December 2027 based upon our business performance in 2026

• In addition to the above we will amend the current wording in the terms and conditions around travel time for meetings and training courses, to allow for travel time to be paid at overtime rate, and minimum paid hours for callouts.

The negotiations were extensive and it is the belief of the negotiating team that the negotiation process has been exhausted The trade unions are recommended you accept this offer.

In Solidarity,

GMB and Unite Negotiating Team

Posted on: 31 March 2026

Dear GMB Union Member,

Workplace exposure to hazardous substances, particularly fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, and airborne particulates, remains a significant occupational health concern across UK industries. As part of our commitment to safeguarding health, safety, and welfare at work, this Workplace Exposure Register has been created in partnership with our law firm Unionline to ensure that workers have a clear, accessible means of recording and evidencing exposure to potentially harmful airborne contaminants.

This register is designed to complement, not replace, the legal duties placed upon employers. Employers are required to assess, control, monitor, and review employees’ exposure to hazardous substances. However, we recognise that workers themselves are often best placed to identify when exposures occur, especially where controls may be inadequate, inconsistent, or poorly implemented.

In February 2019 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reclassified all welding fume, including mild steel, as a Group 1 human carcinogen, with no safe level of exposure. This includes both the visible particulate fume as well as the invisible gases generated during welding operations. Welding fume exposure has been linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational asthma, metal fume fever, and long-term neurological, renal, and cardiovascular harm. For these reasons, welding fume is given specific emphasis in this register.

Workers across manufacturing, engineering, shipbuilding, construction, fabrication, and maintenance roles are routinely exposed to welding fume, often in challenging real-world environments where ventilation, extraction, and respiratory protection may be inadequate. Documenting these exposures is essential to ensure early intervention, enforce employer compliance, and protect workers’ long‑term health.

The purpose of this Workplace Exposure Register is to:

Provide workers with a formal mechanism to record instances of exposure to hazardous fumes, dusts, and airborne substances, including but not limited to welding fume, metalworking fluids, silica dust, wood dust, solvents, and combustion products.

Create a contemporaneous record that may assist in enforcing workplace safety improvements and ensuring employers meet their statutory duties under COSHH.

Support members in the event of future industrial disease claims handled through Unionline, by preserving evidence of exposure that may otherwise be lost over time.

Strengthen our ability to challenge unsafe work practices and advocate for better engineering controls, extraction systems, health surveillance, and training.

Who Should Use This Register

Anyone who may be exposed to hazardous airborne contaminants - whether regularly or occasionally - is encouraged to complete this register whenever exposure occurs or when controls fail. This includes welders, fabricators, apprentices, maintenance technicians, cleaners, machine operators, labourers, and any worker who may be unintentionally exposed through bystander contamination or poor segregation of workspaces.

Entries in this register will be securely held and may be used by GMB or Unionline to:

• Identify patterns of unsafe practice
• Support collective bargaining around health and safety
• Strengthen grievances and health & safety reports
• Assist with legal claims relating to industrial disease

By completing this register, members help ensure that exposure risks—especially those as serious as welding fume inhalation—are properly recognised, challenged, and prevented.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PD9HL6M

We urge all members to use this new Register as appropriate.

In solidarity,

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, Acting National Secretary

Matt Roberts, National Officer

Posted on: 3 October 2025

Today your GMB and Unite reps met with the company to begin pay talks.

We presented your pay claim for 2026:

• 6.1% increase on all pay elements

This figure covers the gap left by last year’s below-inflation pay award and this year’s CPI inflation, so members can begin to recover lost spending power.

The claim reflects what you told us in our recent survey. Members responded overwhelmingly that they want the focus this year to be on take-home pay rather than other changes to terms and conditions.

We explained that after three years of below-inflation rises, it’s vital to make up ground and protect living standards. We also shared comparisons showing our claim is reasonable and affordable, with other settlements across the industry often running at similar or higher levels.

The company did not make an offer today. They said they hadn’t expected a pay-only claim, despite us flagging that two weeks ago, and want time to review their position. They’ve asked to reconvene in around two to three weeks.

Next steps:

• We’ll push for an improved pay offer when talks restart.
• We’ll keep you updated and call on you for further input or action if needed.

Thank you to everyone who filled in the pay survey, it made our position clear and helped strengthen the case we put forward today.

In Solidarity,

Your GMB & Unite Negotiating Team