(Reuters) -A union representing workers at BT Group and its networking arm Openreach said on Wednesday its members will hold a national strike over pay in October, adding to a wave of industrial action as inflation hits 40-year highs.
Some 40,000 workers, including BT Group’s 999 emergency call handlers, will hold a strike for four days in October: Oct. 6, Oct. 10, Oct. 20 and Oct. 24, Communication Workers Union (CWU) said.
Earlier in August, CWU held a similar walkout and served notice to BT Group and Openreach in a dispute over pay.
A worsening cost-of-living crisis in Britain has prompted workers in industries from railways and airlines to barristers and even trade union staff to either threaten or undertake strike action in disputes over pay and conditions.
With inflation having topped 10% in July and projected by the Bank of England to exceed 13% next month, CWU says company’s pay offer represents a “real terms pay cut.”
The company awarded a 1,500 pound-a-year ($1,697.55) rise in April, a 5% increase on average, and has said it won’t be reopening its 2022 pay review.
“This dispute is modern Britain in a nutshell: Lives are at risk because a company’s top brass won’t listen to workers,” said Dave Ward, general secretary of the union.
BT Group and Openreach did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
($1 = 0.8836 pound)
(Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis)
