Passions run high as delegates demand that BT scrap Performance Management

Telecoms & Financial Services April 27 2016

A vociferous debate saw delegates overwhelmingly back a motion calling for the scrapping of Performance Management (PM) by BT.

A series of contributions attacked PM for its destructive impact on workers and the performance of the company itself.

Proposing the motion, Mark Elwen, West Yorks, summarised a situation where the company has spent millions using PM to deal with a small number of people. “There are a tiny number of people who don’t want to come to come to work to do a good job,” said Mark. “The company have spent millions demotivating everyone else to deal with the few.”

Mark called for PM to be scrapped, not given a new name. “Our members want to do a good job,” he added.

Ali Moosa of Midland No 1, claimed not only is PM not working but “it leaves a lot of casualties behind.”

Linda Woodings of East Midlands testified to the hash that BT had made with PM. “PM is counter-productive to the productivity of BT,” said Linda.

Bill Dixon of South London, Surrey and North Hampshire, had given a passionate contribution to an earlier debate on PM, insisting that if the practice was not scrapped then there must be an industrial action ballot.

Consequently, he supported the thrust of the motion but was concerned at the “lack of teeth” if the company tried again to fob off the union. “My worry is that we just keep coming back. I want us to come away from here and have some real action about what we’re going to do – we need to stick some teeth on it and make it clear we’re ready to walk,” said Bill, who described Openreach as perpetual offenders with PM. “We see our members coming back time and time again broken down by PM,” said Bill

Judy Griffiths of Coventry branch lamented the millions BT had spent on “this rubbish” that could have been spent on training.

Julie Upton for the TFSE expressed her joy that conference was backing this motion that gave negotiators the room to work. She testified to the terrible toll that PM was reaping on a day to day basis regarding members.

She reassured those concerned about the lack of teeth in the motion, that if the executive was unable to achieve what was stipulated from the company they would come back for an industrial action ballot.