Rolls Royce staff to get £2,000 payment

More than 14,000 staff at Rolls Royce will be offered a £2,000 one-off payment to help with the rising cost of living in the UK.

The payment will be for junior management and shop floor staff, mainly based at the company's Derby and Bristol sites, said the manufacturer.

The lump sum will start to be rolled out to 3,000 staff in their August pay.

The remaining 11,000 unionised workers will receive the payment after their union approves the amount.

The move comes after several companies announced measures to help staff cope with rising costs, as energy bills continue to soar and UK inflation hits a 40-year high.

A Rolls Royce spokesperson told the BBC that 70% of its UK workforce will receive the payment, adding that the company is also "offering our shop floor staff the highest annual pay rise for at least a decade".

There are ongoing discussions with unions about a pay settlement for 2022-2023, the spokesperson said, and the cost of living issue is to be a factor in those negotiations.

The spokesperson also told the BBC that the 11,000 unionised members will also be offered a 4% increase in pay, back-dated to March.