Yet another rock-solid display of workforce fury across BT and Openreach is underlining the folly of senior management’s presumption that battle fatigue and financial pressures would sap the will of employees to continue fighting for a fair pay rise.
Today (Monday) around 40,000 CWU members are embarking on their eighth day of all-out strike action – demonstrating undiminished workforce disgust at the steadfast refusal of BT Group to reconsider the real-term team member pay cuts that have triggered the first national industrial action in BT Group for 35 years.
Following the company’s stonewalling of repeated CWU appeals for a return to the negotiating table to achieve a fair and just settlement of an increasingly bitter pay dispute, the union is now embarked on a co-ordinated programme to up the ante. Read more here.
A joint CWU rally was held in the centre of Oxford.
Highlighting the twin disputes that the CWU is involved in. BT/Openreach and Royal Mail/Post Office.
This was attended by our branch Sectretary, Richard Abbiss plus CWU members from BT and the Royal Mail. Also members from Unite, UNISON and NEU unions. Speakers included Tom from our branch and Paul Moffat our Regional Secretary. A message of support from Analisa Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East was given.
Solid support was seen on various picket lines across our Branch area.
Wet weather fails to discourage members from attending picket lines across the branch area.
Slough MP, Tan Dhesi joins picket line to show support.
Media Reports on Latest Action.
BT workers call for company response as strikes continue – BBC News
CWU Begin Final Day of Latest BT Strikes, But Worse May Follow – ISP Review
Workers from BT and Openreach including 999 staff stage strike – STV News
CWU Twitter Feed – https://twitter.com/CWUnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Cracks appearing across BT Group as more strikes pile on the pressure.
Over 40,000 BT and Openreach workers are downing tools Thursday for their seventh day of industrial action amid clear evidence that mounting engineering workstacks and lengthening call centre queues are seriously impacting all parts of the business.
That disruption will be compounded on Monday (October 24) with a further day of all-out strike action demonstrating an entire workforce’s disgust at the steadfast refusal of BT Group bosses to reconsider real-term pay cut that have triggered the first national strike action in the telecoms giant in 35 years.
Despite repeated CWU appeals to senior management to return to the negotiating table to achieve a fair and just settlement of an increasingly bitter pay dispute, bosses have so far shown no interest in resolving the industrial relations conflagration.
As such, the CWU is embarked on a co-ordinated programme to up the ante, with plans to reballot the entire workforce – including members in EE – announced in a special Facebook Live broadcast on Tuesday night.
That, plus simultaneously revealed plans for future bouts of industrial action to be longer and more intense, builds on the escalation that has already seen more than 500 emergency services call handlers based at 999 call centres across the country join the strike for the very first time.
Previously, those fielding 999 calls had been specially exempted from the CWU’s industrial action in recognition of the essential public service they provide. Read more here.