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Daily Record
Daily Record
Lifestyle
Nicola Roy

BT and Openreach strikes - what services will be affected and when

Staff at BT and Openreach are taking part in further industrial action this week over a pay dispute.

More than 40,000 members of staff walked out on July 29 and August 1, including call centre staff and engineers - which was the first strike the company has seen in 35 years.

This week, there are walkouts planned for Tuesday, August 30 and Wednesday, August 31.

Supported by the CWU, the strike action could affect "millions" of internet users all over the UK.

It was voted for overwhelmingly when 40,000 members were balloted, including 30,000 Openreach engineers and 9,000 call centre staff members.

Engineers voted by 95.4% to strike, on a 74.8% turnout.

BT is the largest broadband provider in the UK, so it's expected that people could see some disruption to their internet.

Why are BT and Openreach staff going on strike?

BT says it has offered "the highest pay rise in more than 20 years" (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The industrial action over the summer came as a result of a pay dispute.

Staff have opposed the company's offer of a £1,500 pay rise, but because of inflation soaring to a record high in July, the CWU described it as a "real-term pay cut".

It came just after it was announced that the company made a profit of £400m in the first quarter of the year, with £1.3 billion made in the past financial year.

CWU general secretary Andy Kerr said: "Announcing hundreds of millions of pounds in profit on the eve of the first national strike since 1987 smacks of arrogance and complete contempt for frontline workers,” Andy insisted.

"This dispute sits squarely at the feet of BT Group CEO Philip Jansen and the Board. They represent everything that needs to change about big business in Britain.

"Our members kept the country connected during the pandemic. They deserve a proper pay rise, and that’s what they are going to get."

Will my internet be affected by the strikes?

Although BT have said that it hopes to minimise the disruption caused by the strikes, customers may have some problems accessing the internet.

Speaking to the Express, broadband expert at USwitch Ernest Doku said: "BT has a third of the UK’s fixed broadband subscribers, and if you’re an existing customer experiencing an internet outage or looking to have BT broadband installed, it’s possible that the strikes could affect the service you receive."

As Openreach engineers will be on strike, any households hoping to have their BT broadband set up this week could see the date being postponed or cancelled.

Doku also suggested going straight to the service status page on the BT website if you're experiencing any problems, as call centre staff are also on strike so may be unable to help over the phone.

BT says it has offered staff "the highest pay rise in more than 20 years", and will not be reopening the 2022 pay review.

This week, Royal Mail staff are also walking out over a wage dispute, along with bin workers in Glasgow and around Scotland.

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