BUILDING workers are unlikely to get a wage rise this year.

The Guernsey Building Trade Employers Association has made that recommendation to its member companies, of which there are more than 100 across the island.

But that will be the base line for wage negotiations between employers and employees, and companies can award an increase if they able to pay more and feel it is justified to do so.

The decision was taken at the recently-held GBTEA annual meeting and applies from 1 June to 31 May 2010.

Association president Mark Palfrey (pictured) said that by keeping the rate the same as last year, the GBTEA was giving member companies the opportunity to control labour costs.

‘We don’t feel it is appropriate to put in an increase because we recognise as an industry we are serving the public at large and we don’t want to impose any further charges on them by increasing wages.

‘But we can only set the minimum level. If members want to pay more that is entirely up to them.’

In March, RPI went negative at -1.2%, although the RPIX figure, which excludes mortgages, stood at 3.3%.