Home Working At Risk as Prospect of National BT Strike Grows

Disagreements over site closures and planned job cuts may lead to BT’s first national strike since 1987.

Some 45,000 BT Group staff, represented by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), will vote on the matter in the coming weeks.

The CWU said that there would be a “massive impact” on the network if workers vote to walk out.

The ballot could lead to strikes during late spring - a time when millions across the country will be heavily reliant on broadband due to home working.

The CWU’s deputy general secretary, Andy Kerr, said: “This is a decision we did not want to take. Last year our members delivered a huge yes vote in a consultative ballot but BT Group are still in denial.

“We want to assure businesses and the public that we do not want to see disruptions to services. This action is about protecting our members but also it is about protecting the service they provide to homes and businesses.

“My message to BT Group is that our door is still open, and we want to resolve this dispute, but this will require a huge shift in attitude from the company. My message to our members is to continue supporting their union and prepare to deliver a massive yes vote.”

Philip Jansen, BT’s chief executive, is pushing for the company to shift to fibre broadband and 5G networks. He has also suggested that a stake in BT’s Openreach division could be sold.

According to the CWU, the firm is looking to shut down hundreds of locations across the country in the coming years.

The CWU’s general secretary, Dave Ward, said the affected staff had been key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic: “They have kept the country connected, held together the homeworking revolution and enabled the wheels of the economy to keep moving – all while dealing with the realities of the pandemic themselves. Their reward from BT Group has been the threat of compulsory redundancy or the closure of their workplace.”

A spokesperson for BT said that the company was going through “immense change” that would lead to lay-offs.

“Such change is always difficult – that’s why we have been discussing our plans with the unions and will continue to do so,” the spokesperson said.

“We’re disappointed that CWU is contemplating industrial action, though the union has not started the formal industrial action process. We remain committed to discussing the concerns they have raised.”