LGV Apprentices – Application of the 2025 Pay Award

LGV Apprentices – Application of the 2025 Pay Award

The Department has received several enquiries regarding the application of the 4.2% pay award to LGV Apprentices. Initial checks suggested that Royal Mail had not applied this increase, prompting immediate discussions with the business. At the outset, the Distribution Management team were uncertain whether the uplift had been implemented and requested time to investigate.

Royal Mail subsequently advised that adjustments were made to apprentice pay rates published in LTB 034/25 on 18th February 2025 to ensure compliance with the National Minimum Wage increase of 6.7% effective from that date. They stated that the revised rates were set significantly above the minimum wage requirement and, in their view, incorporated the 2025 pay award in full.

It is clear from the Pay Guidelines published after the endorsement of the Pay Deal that the business did raise apprentice rates by between 6.7% and 12% on the 1^stApril 2025.  However, several factors were significant in our view:

• Royal Mail had not informed or consulted with the CWU on any amendment to apprentice rates and had at no time indicated that they considered that the pay rise had been incorporated in any uplift.
• No apprentices were in place on the 1st April 2025, with all candidates being onboarded between mid-April and June 2025. As such any uplifts were made before any current apprentices started employment.
• That on passing their vocational licence test and ADC assessment apprentices progress on to 75% of the LGV Professional Driver Pay rates, which did rise in line with the pay award.
• That the Apprentice agreement specifically stated that the rate would rise in line with Pay Awards.

Following further discussions, Royal Mail have now agreed to make good the 4.2% pay award for all LGV Apprentices on the following basis:

1. Apprentices who have yet to pass their test
   • They will receive full back pay from the date they joined the scheme and remain on the new rate until they pass their test
2. Apprentices who have passed their test and progressed to the 75% pay rate
3. • They will receive back pay calculated from the date they joined the scheme up to the point they moved to the higher pay rate

The 4.2% increase will now be applied to the £24,476 rate taking the new rate to £25,504 – eligibility will be limited to the 51 LGV apprentices in the 2025 program affected by this issue.

For your information the 4.2% uplift was applied to LGV apprentice overtime and assigned allowances in September and backdated to 1^st April 2025 in line with the pay agreement. Any back pay due has already been paid for these two pay elements in September salaries.

Clearly the event of April 2025 and the agreement to apply the 4.2% pay deal in full has raised the Apprentice rates far higher than Royal Mail intended and our members will benefit from that, during the period they remain on the base rate. However, Branches should note that Royal Mail have reserved their position with regard to discussions on apprentice rates for any future intakes.

The business are hopeful they can get the additional uplift included in November salaries. The department would be grateful if you could ensure that our LGV Apprentice members are aware of the agreement and the pending uplift in their pay.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: jrodrigues@cwu.org quoting reference LTB 240/25.

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson                   
Assistant Secretary

LTB 240.25 – LGV Apprentices – Application of the 2025 Pay Award

View Online