BT boss £2.3 million ‘kick in the teeth’ says CWU

For immediate release

25th May 2018

 

BT boss £2.3 million ‘kick in the teeth’ says CWU

Gavin Patterson, Chief Executive of telecoms giant BT came under fire this morning for pocketing £2.3 million for himself while cutting thousands of jobs at the company.

CWU deputy general secretary (telecoms & financial services) Andy Kerr described the news as a “kick in the teeth for our hard-working members,” pointing out that Gavin Patterson has now received as much money in just two days then many CWU members at the company get paid over a whole year.

“At a time when BT are cutting back on staff as part of a £1.5bn cost saving plan, to learn this morning that Gavin Patterson’s pay package was £2.3m last year is clearly a kick in the teeth for our hard-working members,” said Andy.

“Whilst many of our grades aren’t affected by the job cuts, we still fight every year to secure an RPI pay rise; whilst those at the top,  earn in two days, what our members earn in a year. This unfair pay gap between senior executives and ordinary workers is a continuing problem and a political solution needs to be found to ensure we create an economy that works for everyone.”

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Notes to editors:

  • According to BT Group’s annual report, Gavin Patterson’s remuneration package consisted of a £1.3 million performance bonus on top of his £1m base salary.
  • The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is the biggest trade union in the communications industry with 190,000 members in post, telecoms, mobile and financial services companies including Royal Mail Group, Post Office, BT Group, EE, O2 and Santander.

 For further comment please contact:

CWU Press Office: 020 8971 7267 / 07793 314249 / pressofficer@cwu.org