A special CWU conference on 21-22 August agreed BT proposals for reduced pay and conditions for new staff by a three to one majority.
The conference was called at short notice because BT wanted to introduce the new arrangement on 1 September.
The union leadership convinced conference that the deal was ‘the only show in town’ and was the best available on which BT would create UK jobs and repatriate some currently offshored work. But in reality, BT is repatriating work because of poor customer opinion.
Pay cuts are linked to re-assessing every job in BT which will result in widespread downgrading.
The CWU Telecom section has reached a watershed with an increasingly disenchanted membership and a leadership that admits it can’t improve their lives. This betrayal should be the catalyst to challenge the leadership in next year’s executive elections.
