The news of a BT strike is unlikely to be welcomed by customers who use their services but follows a string of similar actions across the country. Unions are fighting to improve pay for workers and limit the impact of the cost of living crisis.
Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communications Workers Union (CWU), said: “This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that no worker in the UK is unreachable, that all workers are ready to stand up and fight for higher pay and, in some cases, better conditions.” It is the first time in 35 years that industrial action has been called by staff working at BT, and includes those working at Openreach – a subsidiary of the communications giant.
A spokesperson for Openreach, which employs mostly engineers, tried to downplay the potential for disruption for customers. They said: “We have tried and tested processes for large-scale colleague absences to minimise any disruption for our customers. We will do everything we can to keep our customers connected.”
Read more: BT workers vote in favour of strike action over pay
Will my TV services or phoneline be interrupted by the BT strike?
Your TV or phone services with BT shouldn’t be interrupted unless you’re looking to get a new service installed or repaired at the time of the proposed strike. It may also be more difficult to get in touch with support staff if you have an issue with your service.
Trade union boss Dave Ward, head of CWU, said the company cannot guarantee that 999 services won’t be affected by the strike. Around 200 BT staff currently deal with emergency services calls.
A date hasn’t been set for the strike action and there is a chance that a deal may still be hammered out before the industrial action goes ahead. When asked how disruption to certain services can be avoided, Ward said: “BT can avoid all of that if they come to the negotiating table with a better offer and enter meaningful negotiations.”
There is still a chance that the strike may not go ahead at all if all parties can come to some sort of compromise. EE staff, that fall under the BT umbrella, will not be striking after the 50% threshold for a ballot on strike action to be legal was missed by just eight votes.
Find out more about the cost of living crisis by reading our latest stories here.
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