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Skilled workers on the £2.6bn Heathrow Terminal 5 project will earn £55,000 a year under a deal between Laing O'Rourke and unions.

Unskilled workers will earn £32,000 a year gross, about the same salary as an office manager.

Laing O'Rourke is the first contractor to reach agreement with the construction unions (UCATT, GMB and T&G) over T5 pay and conditions. This will be used as a benchmark for other contractors.

An insider on the pay talks confirmed the £55,000 and £32,000 salary figures, and added that the wage deal deviated from normal large-site agreements as it included shift payments and offered workers 29 days paid holiday. The insider said the deal complied with the working time directive's 48-hour working week rule.

A BAA spokesperson said the talks between Laing O'Rourke and the unions had finished. Laing O'Rourke refused to comment.

UCATT general secretary George Brumwell said he was pleased with the agreement but refused to confirm the rates agreed.

Brumwell said: "There's no more haggling, we know where we stand. Laing O'Rourke knows where we stand. And it's a very good deal."

He said it included a commitment to direct employment, an occupational health scheme and an incentive scheme under which the workforce would receive a bonus if the project beats its targets.

In a separate development, it has emerged that hundreds of refugees could be offered jobs on the project under plans drawn up by BAA.

T5 officials have been in talks with charity Refugee Aid and Development over the recruitment of refugees into the construction industry.

Fawzia Adam, a director of the charity, said there would be a national campaign to attract refugees to the project within the next few months.

Adam would not be drawn on the number of refugees on the T5 project but it is expected to run into the hundreds. Adam said applicants will be offered full training and language tuition.

She said: "Talks are at a preliminary stage but we will be talking to the Construction Industry Training Board and other industry bodies to help train and attract refugees to work on the T5 project."

A BAA spokesperson said the move was part of the airport operator's strategy to attract more ethnic minorities to construction. He said: "Part of BAA's local labour strategy targets ethnic and minority groups."

BAA intends to advertise for workers in cultural centres and places of worship. It will also use Asian radio station Sunrise. The site will have a dedicated recruitment centre to be run by Jobcentre Plus.