30th January 2023 – CBRE – Pension Changes.
The National Team met with Mark Beach, Benefits Manager EMEA, Global Workplace Solutions CBRE who entered into consultation with regards to proposed changes to the pension scheme provider for CBRE.
A 60-day consultation has commenced with all employees. Employee presentations with Q&A responses have been collated and considered. The target implementation date is January 2023.
The presentation outlined the rationale for change which is very much focused around a simplified process moving from x6 Defined Contribution (DC) pension schemes, with 2 main providers to one.
The Company outlined their desire to simplify the administration process and work with a unified provider irrespective of grade. The new provider offered an improved financial education offering to employees with the ability to potentially add workplace savings.
A tender process has been carried out resulting in AON being the recommended provider with the highest score across multi-team scorecards.
The following were highlighted as key areas for selection:
- Automated administration process
- Enhanced member communications and education
- Reduction in charges between 0.16 and 0.37% per annum
- Administration platform run by Aegon
- Automated Re-hire process
- Employee App with added extras
Costs to the business
There are no explicit costs to CBRE with the new pension scheme, just a redirection of where existing contributions are paid. There are no cost savings to the business however a return on investment from improved financial wellness activities are expected. The Company advised that improved governance reduces business risk and that improved internal processes reduce risk and offer a potential time and therefore cost reduction. The ability to consider rolling out Salary Sacrifice to all employees offers increased tax mitigation savings to the business. Further benefit packages are expected shortly.
When the consultation period ends, if no changes are to be made, contributions will be paid to the new provider from 01 January 2023.
Employees will be given the opportunity to transfer fund from existing pension with no cost or charges.
There is a microsite available which also talks about the pension scheme welcometoamt – CBRE (aon.com)
User name is CBRE password is CBRE.
The text of the Company comms is reproduced below.
Tracey Fussey
National Officer. CWU Telecoms & Financial Services
A MESSAGE FROM GWS UK BENEFITS TEAM
Proposed changes to your pension provider – JANUARY 19, 2023
Following a review of the current pension arrangements for the CBRE GWS UK business, we are proposing to change the current pension provider to Aon Master Trust. Please note, this will not impact the contribution rates paid by you or the company into the new scheme.
Benefits of the new arrangement include:
– Automated administrative process to make it easier to access and manage your pension
– Enhanced member communications and education
– Reduction in charges between 0.16 and 0.37% per annum
– Administration platform run by Aegon
– Employee App with added extras including Financial Education for all employees
Proposal summary
From 31 March 2023, the current scheme will close to future contributions from CBRE. Your contributions into the current scheme will cease on and from 01 April 2023. Effective 01 April, you will be enrolled into the CBRE GWS section of Aon Master Trust and your contributions will be paid into the new scheme going forward.
From 01 April, you will have direct access to your account/pension plan via the member app and online.
It is also proposed that you will have the option to transfer funds held within the current scheme with no cost or penalties during July 2023.
Providing feedback
A 60-day consultation period will run from 19 January 2023 and close on 23 March 2023. This is an opportunity to provide feedback and/or raise any queries you may have. Any questions or comments should be sent to Benefits@cbre.com
At the end of the consultation period, we will consider the feedback received and communicate the outcome of the consultation by 30 March 2023.
Further information
Click here to access the Aon website which provides access to useful documents and videos to help you understand more about your plan. Username: CBRE | Password: CBRE
We will also be holding webinars for all employees with details to follow shortly.
Financial Advice
Please note that we’re unable to provide you with any financial advice in respect of your pension benefits. If you feel that you would benefit from financial advice, the Financial Conduct Authority website provides information in relation to finding a financial adviser.
Kind regards,
GWS UK Benefits team
Distribution: GWS UK employees.
This communication does not impact UK Advisory PJM colleagues.
28th June 2022 – CBRE Pay 2022 (Operative Date 1st June 2022) – Ballot Result
Further to Telecoms Bulletin 84/2022 members in CBRE have been balloted on the pay offer for this year conducted electronically and closed today Tuesday 28th June 2022. The results are as follows:
In Favour: 76%
Against: 24%
Therefore, the pay increase has been agreed.
For clarity the detail of the offer is reproduced below:
- CBRE will introduce a minimum salary of £22,000 effective 1st June 2022 based on 40 hours Full Time Equivalent (FTE), pro-rated for Part Time
- CBRE will ensure that the minimum increase members receive will be 4% of annual salary, or £1500 (FTE) or an increase to £22,000 (FTE), whichever is the greater
- CBRE will commit to review the range of engineer salaries in 2022/23
- CBRE will commit to reviewing the on-call allowance in 2022/23
The increase and % impact upon salary ranges are detailed below:
| Salary Range | % Increase |
| £19,305 – £20,000 | 10% – 14% |
| £20,318 – £20,287 | 8% – 9.9% |
| £21,549 – £20,500 | 7% – 7.9% |
| £25,183 – £21,622 | 6% – 6.9% |
| £30,286 – £25,454 | 5% – 5.9% |
| £30,408 – £44,000 | 4% – 4.9% |
The operative date is 1st June 2022 and this includes arrears, overtime and other pay related elements.
The increase will be backdated and is expected to be included in the July salaries.
Thank you to all our members who took the time to participate in the ballot.
25th April 2022 – ISS Security – SIA Upskilling and Licences – Update
Further to Telecoms Bulletin 24/2022, The CWU have been in continuing talks with ISS with regard to their approach to upskilling and the suspension process when no license is held.
ISS has continued to review their original position and have had a full review of both the SIA upskilling process and the suspension process for ISS. The National Team are pleased to advise that ISS has confirmed that members will now be suspended on full pay and that our members are being supported as well as the course being fully funded by ISS.
The process guidance that ISS has confirmed they will now be following when dealing with the likely scenarios that will crop up as part of the upskilling courses is as follows:
Scenario 1 – We have been unable to book a course for an individual due to their geographical location:
- In instances similar to this, the individual should be suspended on full pay or redeployed at the same hourly rate, or employed doing amended duties, until they are able to complete the course and we receive their SIA renewal details.
- If the individual has failed this course and subsequently, their SIA license has now expired revert to the investigation point in scenario 2 and follow the next steps.
Scenario 2 – Failure of SIA Upskilling Course and Expired SIA License:
- Consider redeployment opportunities – must be on the same rate of pay, or amended duties which do not require a SIA license.
- If we are unable to identify redeployment opportunities or amend duties which do not require a SIA license the employee should be placed on suspension with full pay.
- Review the amount of course(s) completed and failed by the individual and invite them to an investigation hearing as soon as possible and follow the investigation process to understand why or hear any mitigation points as to why the course was failed. (We need to be aware of any potential disabilities or learning difficulties, or any other reason which may have caused the failure of the course).
- Once the investigation manager hears and reviews all of the necessary information, they need to determine whether there is a case to answer.
- If there is a case to answer to the individual will then be required to attend a disciplinary hearing, if an individual is dismissed the termination of employment reason would be some other substantial reason.
- We anticipate this is not to be a prolonged process.
Scenario 3 – Failure to Attend the Course:
- Consider redeployment opportunities – must be on the same rate of pay, or amended duties which do not require a SIA licence.
- If we are unable to identify redeployment opportunities or amend duties which do not require a SIA licence the employee should be placed on suspension with full pay.
- If employee has failed to attend course twice with no good reason revert to Scenario 2.
- Failure to attend once – rebook the course as soon as possible.
- If failed on rebooked course revert to Scenario 2 process.
Any Mitigation as to why the course was missed or failed should be carefully considered.
Please note, that suspension is the last resort and we should be looking to redeploy and amend duties which do not require a SIA license in the first instance.
The CWU National Team are extremely pleased with this new position and is hugely positive in supporting members through their careers/development.
13th December 2021 – CBRE National Team Election 2021
Following TB 208/2021 detailing the CBRE National Team Election 2021, the following nominations have been received:
| Name | Branch |
| Anthony Faulkner | North Wales & Chester Combined |
| Adam Lingard | Lincolnshire & South Yorks |
| Kate Murphy | Northern Ireland Telecoms |
| Jim Thompson | South East Central |
| Clive Stringer | Midland No 1 |
The Chair of the Team is a member of, and determined by, the Telecoms and Financial Services Executive.
There are 4 elected positions on the CBRE NT. 5 nominations have been received and therefore an election is required.
The ballot will open today, the 13th December and close at noon on the 20th of December.
Results will be declared on 21st December 2021.
Branches with members in CBRE will be eligible to cast their vote based on their CBRE (BT account CBU) membership.
Any enquiries regarding the election should be directed to tfussey@cwu.org
10th December 2021 – ISS National Team Election 2021
Following TB 209/2021 detailing the ISS National Team Election 2021, the following nominations have been received:
| Name | Branch |
| Mohamed Jama | Midland Counties |
| Peter Newcastle | North East |
The above representatives are therefore elected to the ISS National Team in line with the ISS NT Constitution.
Only 2 nominations were received leaving a vacancy on the team.
The Executive member and Chair of the team is Dave Tee.
Any enquiries regarding the election should be directed to tfussey@cwu.org
25th November – Welcome reassurances for ISS members as BT Centre closure looms
Robust intervention by the CWU on behalf of ISS security guards, who’d initially been told they’d have to reapply for their jobs to secure guaranteed employment at BT’s new London HQ when BT Centre closed on December 6, secured a swift management clarification in October.
But it has taken longer to secure similar guarantees of continuity of employment and Ts&Cs for scores of housekeepers and ‘front of house’ staff who faced the upheaval of separate TUPE transfers following the shock announcement that ISS had not been successful in its tenders to replicate those functions at the company’s new ‘One Braham’ headquarters in Aldgate.
Yesterday (Tuesday), however – with BT’s phased exit from its historic Newgate Street head office just two weeks away from its conclusion – intervention by the CWU secured the categorical assurances that impacted members have been craving for.
CWU national officer Tracey Fussey said: “It’s regrettable it took a determined final push by the CWU to achieve confirmation that every single one of the protections for transferring staff contained in TUPE law had been followed through in full – but I’m pleased to say that the seamless transfer of the previously outsourced BT Facilities Services members to their new employers is now finalised.
“The housekeepers involved now form a recognised bargaining unit in the Peartree contact cleaning company – which we look forward to working with in the future – while the ‘front of house’ staff join our existing bargaining unit in CBRE, with only the security guards at One Braham remaining with ISS.
“All have transferred to their new place of employment with their terms and conditions entirely unchanged .
“Crucially this includes the guarantee that the Real Living Wage will remain the baseline pay for everyone on the BT contract, and that the compensatory payments the CWU secured for those who lost free BT Broadband – as a result of their disputed outsourcing by BT Facilities Services – will continue to be paid.”
5th August 2021 – Big ‘yes’ vote for hard-negotiated ISS pay rise.
ISS members working on the BT contract have voted by more than four to one to accept a CWU-brokered pay settlement for 2021 that will see nearly three quarters of employees receive a consolidated rise of 2.15%.
Crucially, ISS’s final offer – which emerged at the culmination of protracted talks – maintains the Real Living Wage as the absolute minimum hourly pay rate for housekeeping and security members who were outsourced by BT in April 2019.
As such, the deal, which was placed before members in a consultative postal ballot that commenced last month, involves a baseline 20p per hour rise from £9.30 to £9.50.
The 2.15% pay increase also extends to a small number of employees whose hourly rate currently sits just above £9.50. Higher paid staff, meanwhile, will receive 1.75% – with the fully consolidated increases all flowing through to overtime and other pay-related elements.
Commending the company’s final offer to members just prior to the ballot opening, the union’s ISS National Team chair Dave Tee had pointed out that, in an area where the lower National Living Wage pay rate of £8.72 an hour is commonplace, the importance of the union’s success in ensuring Real Living Wage pay rates were carried over in the BTFS outsourcing agreement had once again been underlined.
Thanking members for demonstrating their unequivocal support of the deal, newly elected CWU national officer for ISS, Tracey Fussey, concludes: “While we accept that the Covid pandemic has presented many challenges to ISS – just as it has to many other companies – it was hugely important to the CWU that, as agreed in the TUPE transfer, the Real Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation remains the minimum wage rate on the BT contract.
“This deal delivers that objective, but our aspirations don’t stop there and we hope that next year we can build on that.”
