Letters To Branches

Getting Organised in Telecom

Getting organised in Telecom - the basic steps
Unions cannot remove uncertainty in an uncertain world - but unionised workers have the best opportunity of defending themselves. That is why telecom, cable, mobile and call centre workers join the CWU.

With the support of the CWU, employees can promote their legitimate interests in the workplace. In the recent period, significant groups of workers have secured union recognition with employers including Typetalk, DX Communications, The Mobile Phone Store, Lumina, Vertex (Cable & Wireless operator services), Alphameric Red Onion Limited (AROL) and Telewest (broadband engineers).

Who's in the Union?
People just like you - engineers, sales people, customer service, IT specialists, technical help desk - all sorts in fact. The person that you work beside could be a member - as could your supervisor or manager. Membership of the CWU is totally confidential to the union and is not disclosed to your employer.

What can the Union do for me - without recognition?
As much, or as little as you wish. You may never need the union to represent you, but most people need a helping hand or a bit of advice from time to time.

CWU members are legally entitled to seek union advice and even direct personal representation - regardless of whether your company recognises unions. We have an excellent track record of representing our members at grievance and disciplinary hearings.

What about recognition?
Union-recognised companies generally have better terms and conditions, and health and safety standards than do non-union firms. In fact most of the UK's top 100 companies recognise the value of a positive relationship with unions.

But companies that do not recognise unions are usually reluctant to engage unless there is a clear demand for union recognition from their employees. Union recognition processes can be agreed through voluntary or statutory routes, the latter being defined by law.

In preparing a claim for recognition, the union would look for:

  • A "bargaining unit" clearly defined by factors such as geography, workstream, or grade
  • At least 10% union membership in the "bargaining unit" - in practice we try to win over 50%
  • Staff petitions in support of CWU recognition for collective bargaining
  • Obvious union presence in the workplace
  • Wherever possible, union-trained but "unofficial" reps who can look after straightforward personal issues as well as being the CWU's ambassador in the workplace.

But the first step is to join the union!.

Current national organising campaigns include:

  • Cable & Wireless
  • Orange and Equant
  • Telewest
  • T-Mobile
  • Vodafone

Additionally, there are many local and regional campaigns including companies like COLT, TSC and the Caudwell group of companies.

Get Respect at Work - Join the Union!
Membership subscriptions vary according to which company you work for, but for employees in non-recognised workplaces, the monthly subs are only £4.99, and more for workers in recognised firms like BT and O2.

If you want to be part of the union, then it's simple to join by clicking here. We will then contact you and send you a membership application. Union subs are deducted from salary in union-recognised firms, and, elsewhere, paid by Direct Debit from your bank or building society account.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the CWU Organising Department at joinunion@cwu.org, or by phoning our hotline number 0800 731 7434.