News / Marvin Rees
Marvin Rees joins striking BT workers on picket line
Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees has joined striking staff from BT and Open Reach, declared “solidarity with striking workers”.
BT staff across the UK have gone on strike to demand a fair deal after a significant rise in living costs has led to “unbalanced pay”.
Members of the Communications Union (CWU) have gone on strike on Friday, July 29 and Monday, August 1.
Rees joined the group of strikers on picket lines at the Central Telephone Exchange on Marsh Street in Bristol on Monday morning.
“With BT’s profits at £1.3bn and inflation at 9.4 per cent, 40,000 CWU members are fighting for a fair deal in a cost of living crisis – their first strike in 35 years,” said Rees in a tweet on Monday.
The union are demanding a “proper pay rise” after BT decided on a pay rise without workers’ agreement. The CWU argue that the pay increase is “simply not enough to keep up with the rising costs of food and energy.”
“The company can afford to pay more, especially after bumping their prices up by 10 per cent” said the CWU.
“BT Group made £1.3bn of profits this year and paid out more than half of that to shareholders. We created those profits and deserve more – we’ve earned it.”
“We had no consolidated pay increase last year, despite working through the pandemic. Pay has fallen significantly behind RPI inflation in the last three years. The company promised they would make up for that this year and haven’t.
“Out of the £1.3bn BT made in in profits this year, they have paid out more than half to share holders where as the workers pay has fallen significantly behind the rise of living costs,” the CWU continued.
The CWU insist the strike are a “last resort” and say BT is “refusing to negotiate”. BT’s CEO Phillip Jansen took a £3m pay package this year while there were reports that some BT offices were beginning to establish food banks to assist employees.
The group say they are challenging BT otherwise “imposition without consolation will be the norm”.
Main photo: Marvin Rees
Read more: Calls for urgent independent inquiry into Bristol city council surveillance of SEND parents
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
