Three’s £2bn dividend payout sparks row over Vodafone merger

Unite union says payout shows Three is highly profitable, and proposed merger is ‘clear attack on consumers’

A record £2bn dividend payment to the owners of the telecoms firm Three sparked a row over the weekend as it was claimed that the huge payout showed the firm was profiteering and that its planned merger with Vodafone was “a clear attack on consumers”.

The Unite union said the dividend paid to the Hong Kong-listed conglomerate of the billionaire Li Ka-shing, which owns Three, revealed that the firm was highly profitable as an independent business and could remain viable without a merger.