Union Office, British Telecom, Becket House, New Dover Road,

Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3BB

Tel: 01227 760311 e-mail: cwumeridian@btconnect.com

Archived Letters

BT Openreach

Performance and Sick Absence Management in BT

Since I last wrote to you, we have been in intense negotiations with BT on the issues of Performance and Sick Absence Management and I can report that we have made some progress. This could only have been done by the company acknowledging that we had the full support of members in a campaign on this issue and I personally would like to thank you for your commitment......More>  

PERFORMANCE & SICK ABSENCE MANAGEMENT IN BT

Over the past few weeks we have met on several occasions regarding performance management and sick absence in BT and the purpose of this letter is to summarise the outcome of these discussions.

Before going into the specific issues raised by the CWU, I would.......More>

Fact Finding Interviews and the Discipline Procedure

If you suddenly find yourself in a Fact Finding meeting with your or another manager then you almost certainly will not have been warned. A manager will come out to site to visit you, they may or may not tell you they are coming but will almost certainly not tell you why they want to see you? Likewise if you get called to their or another office you almost certainly will not be told why before you get there....... More>

Important Information

To all CWU Engineering members - Our advice to members is as follows

Remember make sure you have had the right training for the job and that your personal risk assessment is the key to safe working and avoiding the possibility of prosecution.

Never carry out work you’re not properly trained to do.

Whether you're working on provision or repair, every day involves using a range of skills and knowledge to complete a job safely. It’s important to remember that you must only carry out work that you have been trained to do, even if it appears to be quick, easy and safe. Ignore this and you might miss vital steps in your on-site risk assessment which could cause an accident.

For example, If you need to access or work off a flat roof then you have to have done the specialist course which deals with this type of work - “Flat Roof Training for Short Duration Work” as it contains all the information you need to keep you safe when working for a short duration on a flat roof (and the reminder that nobody in Openreach is allowed to work on sloping roofs).

Also, before acting as a ground support person for a platform elevating unit (PEs), you need to have done the online course “Working Safely With Mobile Elevating Work Platforms”, which not only talks about what PEs we have, but goes into detail on the role of the ground support person, and what they need to do.

If you’re not sure if you need training to carry out any part of a job safely, then stop work and check the health and safety handbook or phone your line manager for advice.

Never carry out work you’re not properly trained to do.

Remember make sure you have had the right training for the job and that your personal risk assessment is the key to safe working and avoiding the possibility of prosecution, if you have any further questions - or wish to make the Branch aware of any safety related issue call the office or better still email us at

cwumeridian@btconnect.com   

Winter Working – Working in the hours of Daylight – Seasonal Working

Whatever they want to call it’s the same thing…

Team Members on BVC8A have contacted the Union concerning Working Winter hours. Once again NI management in the SE have ‘jumped the gun’ and have gone outside of the Openreach Attendance Pattern Agreement for the THIRD time..... More>

BT Engineers claim for Tinnitus and Hearing loss

Any member who feels they may have suffered as a result of using the oscillator and amplifier tone sets, should register their claim...More>