CWU turns up the heat on BT London Weighting

BT December 5 2018

Efforts to force BT into talks over London Weighting payments that have stood still since 2012 have stepped up a gear with the production of eye-catching campaign material that will soon be a familiar sight for members across the capital.

The CWU’s BT London Regional Committee (BTLRC) has produced posters and flyers urging members to do their bit to ‘get BT to the table’ and will shortly be blitzing union notice boards and conducting desk drops accordingly.

The move comes after a consultative ballot of around 6,000 members of the union’s four T&FS branches in August recorded 99 per cent support for an increase in inner and outer London Weighting (LW) levels which have languished at £3,380 and £1,637 respectively for six long years.

With 92 per cent of respondents confirming they are “prepared to take part in the campaign to engage BT in negotiations”, the scene is now set for a concerted CWU drive

to secure movement from the company after years of stonewalling.

Greater London Combined Branch secretary John Ballard, who is coordinating the current fightback on behalf of the BTLRC, stresses: “The stark reality is that the last time CWU members working for BT in London received a rise to their London Weighting was before the 2012 Olympics

“The impact this is now having on the living standards of our membership in one of the most expensive parts of the country to live and work in means this is a hot issue that is raised routinely by members of all four London branches at every possible opportunity.”

Assistant secretary Dave Jukes is now urging those members to ensure their dissatisfaction is made as clear to managers as it is to their CWU branch reps.

“We know there’s a lot of frustration out there, but it needs to be channelled and given a higher profile to make it really clear to the company just how strongly its loyal London workforce feels about this issue.

“I’d therefore urge all of our BT members in London to make their feelings clear at any opportunity that presents itself  – be that at team briefings or in a one-to-one with their manager. Ask them direct why London Weighting hasn’t been increased for six years, and why the company isn’t currently prepared to speak to the CWU nationally about this issue?”