Halt redundancies and stop the race to the bottom on pay and conditions, union says

Friday 31st July 2020

Halt redundancies and stop the race to the bottom on pay and conditions, union says

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have urged BT to stop proposed redundancies at the company, saying that any loss in profit should not fall on dedicated frontline workers.

In its quarterly trading update, which was published today (Friday 31st July), the company said it had delivered a ‘strong operational performance’ in the three months preceding 30th June.

Unsurprisingly, the effect of the global pandemic had impacted on the business, with a small drop in revenue and profits.

However, the company remains a hugely profitable company, with a reported pre-tax profit of £561 million. An accompanying statement by BT CEO Phillip Jansen added that he expects the business to be returned to sustainable adjusted EBITDA growth, as the country recovers from the pandemic.

In response to the news, the CWU – the union for BT workers – has urged the company to scrap recently announced plans to make 150 of its employees redundant.

Andy Kerr, the CWU’s Deputy General Secretary for Telecoms and Financial Services, said: “This crisis has shown that the BT workforce have been crucial in keeping the UK connected.

“BT are a hugely profitable company who receive enormous amounts of government funding to deliver broadband.

“It’s our members who have continued to work throughout the pandemic to deliver on this.

 “Most businesses have taken a hit from the Covid-19 pandemic, and it’s clear BT will bounce back. The news of an impact on their financial revenue and profits will come with anxiety for the workforce, however, as BT are embarking on a major restructuring programme involving mass redundancies of its workforce.

 “Any loss in revenue and profit should not impact on future job security and terms and conditions for dedicated frontline workers.

 “The CWU believe BT should halt any redundancies and stop the race to the bottom on pay, terms and conditions for telecoms workers.”

ENDS

  • For more information, please contact CWU Press Officer Marcus Barnett on 07812590450