BT and Post Office announce new strike action in rows over pay

More BT and Openreach strikes will take place this month

The Communications Workers Union has announced more strikes will be carried out by workers at BT and Openreach on Tuesday August 30th and Wednesday August 31st.

The Communications Workers Marriage has announced more than strikes will take identify on Tuesday Baronial 30th and Midweek August 31^st, as the dispute over pay for BT and Openreach workers in the face up of inflation rolls on post-obit strikes by 30,000+ BT engineers and 9,000 BT call centre workers before this month. In an online circulate seemingly targeted at union members merely which has since been uploaded to YouTube, Dave Ward, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said:

"We know that the last strikes and this declaration today has rocked the visitor. We know that from a number of ways – one that they didn't wait the level of support that you delivered in those two strikes. When I was on the watch lines and talking to people there were enough of managers around who nosotros spoke to, and it became evident from some of those managers that they were really, really taken aback by the level of support.

"We besides know that a lot of those mangers are passing back messages to the company, and I think that the management… are fed up with the activity of the CEO and the lath, and that was also articulate in some of the dialogue that took place. Just we were too able to focus very much on the CEO and the board on how wrong they've been in the choices they've made thus far. And also that it was absolutely possible for them to evangelize a meliorate pay rise, it is an affordable pay rise. And cipher demonstrated that more than on the eve of those commencement two strikes the showtime quarter profits were appear at £422 meg, so nosotros all know they tin beget to give you a higher pay ascent."

BT's quarterlies showed its consumer facing operations grew revenues by 5% year-on-year, thanks to some toll hikes implemented earlier this year, merely as well a 7% revenue reject in the enterprise group. Information technology responded to the action announced today with the statement: "We know that our colleagues are dealing with the impacts of high aggrandizement and, although nosotros're disappointed, nosotros respect their decision to strike. We have fabricated the all-time pay award we could and we are in abiding discussions with the CWU to find a fashion forward from here. In the meantime, nosotros volition continue to work to minimise any disruption and go along our customers and the country connected".

Previously BT gave workers a £i,500 pay increment, but the CWU'southward argument is that this doesn't embrace the rise costs of inflation and therefore represents a pay cutting in real terms. As the dispute rolled on, CWU members working at BT voted in favour of initial strike action at the offset of July, amid what Dave Ward described as a 'real civilisation of fear that has been imposed in the final couple of years past the senior BT management.'

The CWU isn't particularly consistent with the channels it delivers its combinations through – the BT strikes were announced on social media, and while in that location was no specific printing release detailing them, a press release regarding a Post Office strike that was also announced today included a line from CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey maxim:

"Although ours is a carve up trade dispute to that of our Majestic Mail colleagues – and our BT Openreach boyfriend members – the problems at stake here are all remarkably similar. A profitable company, a workforce who performed exceptionally during the pandemic – as central workers, continuing to attend work throughout – and an arrogant and uncaring senior management who seem dead set on attacking, impoverishing and humiliating its ain employees."

At that place is manifestly some ground between how those on either side of the picket fence see things – plain with regards to what constitutes a fair pay rise and a fair profit margin, only even more fundamentally on whether or non negotiations are happening properly. BT states information technology is 'in constant discussions with the CWU to notice a mode forward', while a letter from Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner expressed her 'thwarting' to CEO Phillip Jansen that "you have refused to see with representatives of your workers to notice a resolution… practice the right matter and accept your identify at the negotiating table to observe a fair pay deal."

For at present there volition exist 2 more strikes in August, and presumably if neither side budges there will be more afterwards that as well.

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Source: https://telecoms.com/516967/more-bt-and-openreach-strikes-will-take-place-this-month/

Posted by: simontonwitedingued.blogspot.com

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