Canal and River Trust staff have accepted a pay offer from the charity, after union negotiations.
In 2022, workers were offered an increase of 5.5%, made up of a 4% interim award in June and an extra 1.5% in October.
UNISON said 83% of members rejected it so it negotiate a new pay deal.
After negotiations at ACAS, UNISON representatives secured an offer of 8.2% and a £250 lump sum for each worker.
There were no strikes or other industrial action at the charity, and 94% of union members voted to accept the revised offer.
Canal and River Trust said: “Following the trade union ballot on the proposed pay award, the trust is pleased to confirm that the outcome of the recent ballot was strongly in favour of the offer. We are pleased to have reached what we believe to be a good outcome for both our colleagues and for the trust.”
‘Members were patient during lengthy negotiations’
UNISON national officer Andrew Dobbie said: “Members will now be seeing a good increase in their monthly salary. We’re pleased we could reach a settlement that members strongly backed.
“It’s important for employers in the environmental sector to invest in their workers in order to attract and retain people to do such vital work.”
UNISON rep Steve O’Sullivan added: “UNISON members were patient during lengthy negotiations and we’re proud to have secured a significant improvement on the original offer put forward.”
The 8.2% increase is an 18-month deal spanning the period up to March 2024. The 5.5% offer was for a 12-month period up to October 2023.
Charity Commission data for the financial year ending 31 March 2022 puts the charity's total income at more than £214m.
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