Call to end 'four-year pay freeze' for BT agency staff
Agency staff working for telecoms giant BT have not received a pay rise for four years, the industry’s main union claimed today.
The Communication Workers Union said it was “totally unacceptable” that some agency employees had been told their pay will be frozen when the cost of living was rising sharply.
Deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said: “This exposes the rhetoric and reality of BT’s position on agency workers and makes a mockery of the fact that BT continue to state that they are not constraining the pay rates.
“Agency staff are constantly told that they are valued members of BT’s workforce, yet unequal treatment in terms of pay and conditions say otherwise. This is the fourth consecutive year that some employees have missed out on a pay rise.
“We call on BT to revisit pay negotiations and commit to a pay rise for agency staff to back-up the company’s claims that agency workers are valued.”
A BT spokesman said: “Agency workers are not employed by BT. Their terms and wages are a matter for their employing agency, not BT.
“BT has agreed with the CWU that in its Customer Service Contact Centres it will directly employ 90% of its staff and employ only 10% through agencies. We have achieved this target by converting hundreds of agency staff who met our criteria into permanent BT staff. We will continue to abide by this agreement.”
