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Strike action at BT with picket line outside Castle Street exchange
01/08/2022
Union members claim good support but BT say they will not reopen the 2022 pay review
Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are striking for a second day today over the level of the pay increase that BT has awarded its employees. A picket line has formed outside the Castle Street BT telephone exchange in Banbury.
This is the second 24-hour strike day, with the first held last Friday.
The action follows a £1,500 pay award for all employees which was given earlier this year after negotiations broke down. The CWU says this has resulted in a real-terms wage cut because of the soaring rate of inflation.
Picket line supervisor Ian Clayton said: “We feel totally ignored and outraged by [CEO of BT Group] Phillip Jansen’s lack of respect for our efforts and achievements, that continue to create a profitable company which has provided [him] with a 32% pay rise to £3.5 million, during a period when many of my colleagues are struggling to pay their bills.”
Mark French, the union’s local Assistant Secretary added: “We wanted Phillip Jansen and BT to come back to the table to negotiate a fair pay deal, but he imposed a pay deal upon us – he put it in our wage packets without any negotiation.
“Our members have worked though the pandemic keeping the country connected, earning the company over £1b in profit and this is the thanks we get for it.
“Its not a pay increase, its below inflation – which is increasing and could be at 10% by the end of the year.”
The last action affecting BT was taken back in 1987. Local union members are taking turns to man the picket line with up to 30 people present at some points of the day. They say they are receiving good support from passing motorists.
Mr French said: “Its supported very well. We’ve had members from other unions in the area stand with us on the picket line. We’ve even had BT Managers bringing us drinks and snacks to keep us going.
“I’m sorry to say that if Phillip doesn’t come back to the table to negotiate a fair pay offer then this is only the start. There is talk – and Dave Ward our General Secretary made reference to it on Sky News – that we may with the help of the TUC join forces with other unions.
“This could be a general strike throughout the country.”
A BT Group spokesperson told Banbury FM: “At the start of this year, we were in exhaustive discussions with the CWU that lasted for two months, trying hard to reach an agreement on pay. When it became clear that we were not going to reach an accord, we took the decision to go ahead with awarding our team member and frontline colleagues the highest pay award in more than 20 years, effective 1st April.
“We have confirmed to the CWU that we won’t be re-opening the 2022 pay review, having already made the best award we could. We’re balancing the complex and competing demands of our stakeholders and that includes making once-in-a-generation investments to upgrade the country’s broadband and mobile networks, vital for the UK economy and for BT Group’s future – including our people.
“While we respect the choice of our colleagues who are CWU members to strike, we will work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected. We have tried and tested processes for large scale colleague absences to minimise any disruption for our customers and these were proved during the pandemic.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam