Now BT staff to down tools in pay row

STAFF at BT have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over pay.

About 30,000 Openreach engineers and 9,000 BT call centre workers backed industrial action. However a vote by Communication Workers Union members at EE failed by just eight votes to reach the legal threshold.

CWU boss DaveWard said BT was facing the first national strike since it was privatised in the 1980s.

He said it was the first time a group of call centre workers had voted for action. Mr Ward said BT needed a “significantly improved” pay offer or strike dates will be set.

BT Group called the vote “disappointing” and said pay rises of up to eight per cent were the highest in more than 20 years.