Union lobbies to avoid “damaging industrial dispute” ahead of the annual shareholders general meeting tomorrow (July 12)
BT managers and specialist staff will be appealing to shareholders to avoid pay freezes prior to the annual shareholders general meeting tomorrow (July 12).
Representing managers and specialist staff is trade union company Prospect, which will be lobbying against shareholders to avoid “damaging industrial dispute” following BT’s decision to freeze pay.
A consultative ballot of Prospect members closed on July 5. A total of 98 per cent of members rejected the company’s attempt to impose a pay freeze.
Prospect is based in London and represents 140,000 members in the public and private sector in areas such as agriculture, entertainment and energy.
According to Prospect those engineers and customer service roles received 2.6 per cent pay increased over 15 months, while members BT members of Prospect have been told not to receive a pay rise, said Prospect national officer for BT Philippa Childs.
“While team members have secured a 2.6% increase over 15 months, our members have been told not to expect a pay increase.
“Instead, they will face a pay freeze at a time when inflation is rising sharply. Prospect, the recognised union for BT’s managers and specialists, see this approach as unjustified and incredibly damaging to morale.
“The union fully accepts that BT has had a difficult year, but that does not justify the company isolating one group of staff and imposing a pay freeze on them. Furthermore, our members will rightly be expected to lead their teams and deliver the recovery; it’s clear they’ll do that best of all if they believe their pay treatment by the company is fair and just,” said Childs.
