Q&As

• What hours should I work during the dispute?

If you are full time, 36 hours per week, or, if you are part-time, you should only work your contracted hours. So, If you are full time, 7 hours 12 minutes per day.If part-time, you should work the days and hours you are contracted for

• My job is not do-able in my contracted hours.

This is BT’s problem.  The company is in fact making it clear you can’t be instructed to do more than your contracted hours in its own guidance to line managers.

• What if BT uses the Performance Management process against me, for working my contracted hours?

This would not be acceptable and would amount to a gross abuse of the performance management process.  Get union advice immediately.

• I have been instructed to use the performance management process on my direct reports.

Seek union advice immediately. Remember that if you abuse the performance management process – even if you are doing so under instruction from BT -  you could face grievance and harassment accusations. Remember too that you need to maintain a relationship with your team.

• If I work my hours, I won’t meet my objectives and could lose bonus.

You are contracted to work 36 hours (less if part-time). If bonus objectives are not achievable within your contracted hours, insist on changes to these objectives. Seek help from the union with this, and talk to colleagues – who may well be in the same position. We would take the issue up for the group, rather than for individuals, as the industrial action is collective.

• I need to travel as part of my job. Should I travel in my own time or BT’s?

If job involved travel which is greater than your normal journey to/from HQ (home if you are a homeworker) you travel in BT time.  So, for instance if your normal journey to work takes one hour and to reach a remote location takes 2 hours, you should travel in BT’s time, such that you would start work at the remote location 1 hour late and finish 1 hour early.  Or take TOIL if you absolutely cannot undertake travel in BT’s time.  The point is not to give BT free hours and that certainly includes travelling time.

• I normally work such excessive hours that I will complete my 36 hours in say 4 days. What then?

We strongly advise you not to.  BT is entitled to expect you to attend 5 days a week (or on each day you are contracted to attend if you are part-time) so it is best to work 7 hours 12 minutes per day if you are on a 36 hours, 5 days contract.  But if you and Line Manager agree, then work say 4 days and take the 5th as TOIL. You will however need your Line Manager’s agreement, in advance, to do this.

• I’m the only person doing this.

Well in fact you are not.  Talk to your colleagues and it is vital that all members take action together, collectively.

• I am being told by Line Manager that if I take Industrial Action my career will be affected.

This amounts to intimidation and could be unlawful, as well contrary to BT’s own instructions to line managers, which advises line managers not to be confrontational. Tell us about this, naming the line manager.

• I am on call or work shifts. Should I be or should I come off on call or shift rotas?

You should continue to be available on call, or on shift, only if this is part of a formal, contractual, on-call or shift rota for which your receive a monthly on-call or monthly shift allowance. If you are not on a formal contractual rota, you should cease your availability immediately

• This will harm customers

This may be the inevitable consequence although this is not our aim. Our aim is to bring BT back to the negotiating table. But if customers are affected, or likely to be affected, you should urge your line management to press BT to return to negotiations with Connect.  We don’t want to damage BT’s reputation with customers and BT can avoid that very simply by returning to the negotiations with us and making a reasonable agreement.

• What should I tell BT’s customers?

Nothing. It is up to BT to do that and it would be extremely unwise for you to speak to customers about the dispute. If customers ask you about it, refer them to BT.

• I am permanently employed in a Reward Framework role but am a member of the CWU or a non-member. Can I take part in the Industrial Action?

Yes, as soon as you have joined the union. Join on line by clicking here . Until you join Connect, you cannot lawfully take industrial action.

• I am covering for my boss - should I be?

It is up to you. It is not part of Industrial Action to ask you to stop.  But, DO NOT work more than your contracted hours.

• In order to attend Team Meetings, I need to travel in my own time. Should I do this?

Any such travel must be part of you contracted hours, and see question 6 on travel. Talk to other members of team. Don’t allow yourself to be isolated. The team as a whole should press for meetings to be arranged at a time and location that enables all to attend within contractual hours.

• I have been instructed to attend a conference over a full day which also involves a lot of travelling time. What should I do?

Either travel the day before and/or the day after, and stay in a hotel, or, if you travel there and back in one day, take your TOIL immediately afterwards. Discuss with your colleagues to agree a collective way forward as you may all need prior authorisation for either option. The point is that members should not simply absorb the extra time and inconvenience; the company must bear the full resource costs of events such as this. BT's own guidance for managers makes it clear that you are entitlled to refuse to work beyond 36 hours net per week and that TOIL should be used. If your management refuses to authorise TOIL or agree overnight accommodation, get in touch with your Connect rep as this could be a breach of BT's own guidance.  

• I have been offered overtime in order to complete some work outside of my contracted hours, what should I do as although this is outside of my standard 36 hours I am being compensated?

Our view is that members shouldn't work overtime even when it's being paid for by the company. The aim of the action is to deprive BT of the extra hours that our members have been putting in for years. Even though this might seem like a concession from the company - paying for something they got for free before - it will detract from the impact of the action overall which is about withdrawing goodwill. You should state that you are prepared to work within your contracted hours and ask your line manager to decide on the workload priority.

• I'm happy with my pay rise and bonus this year, why should I support the action?  

Although your pay rise may have been satisfactory this year, looking around at the situation of  your colleagues, can you say with any certainty that this will be the case next year? or the year after? The union is seeking to secure an agreement that will put in place fair and transparent distribution of future pay bill increases, along with putting in place arrangements to close the equal pay gap and a review  of the pay ranges in the RF, many of which have not been increased for some time. We are also want to discuss with BT the operation of the performance management system, which we believe has in some areas been misused to deny individuals fair pay and bonus awards.  This is why we strongly urge all members to support the action.  Only by acting collectively  can we  ensure that BT addresses the structural issues that affect all members in the RF.

If you have any other questions not addressed here, E-mail (union@connectuk.org) or call the union’s helpdesk on 020 8971 6060. Do not use BT e-mails, telephones or the employer’s time to do so.  We will respond to private e-mail addresses and may post further Q&As on this site.