"BT and Openreach staff walk out in strike over pay", 30 August 2022

Thousands of BT and Openreach staff staged fresh strike action on Tuesday as part of an ongoing pay dispute with the telecoms giant.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said more than 40,000 of its members are striking today and on Wednesday...

The CWU said its members are striking against a £1,500 pay rise offered by BT Group. "The reason for the strike is simple: workers will not accept a massive deterioration in their living standards," said CWU general secretary Dave Ward.

BT Group said the offer represented an increase of around 5% on average which rose to 8% for the lowest paid and was the highest pay rise in more than 20 years.

But Mr Ward said: "In the context of Retail Price Index inflation levels already hitting 11.7% this year, this is a dramatic real-terms pay cut."...

A spokesperson for BT said: "We know that our colleagues are dealing with the impacts of high inflation and, although we're disappointed, we respect their decision to strike.

"We have made the best pay award we could and we are in constant discussions with the CWU to find a way forward from here."

It is the second time that BT workers have gone out on strike this year...