By a BT worker THE NATIONAL Communications Union's Telecommunications Industry Committee (TIC) is balloting its 25,000 London engineering members for one day strike action over BT's introduction of 150 outside contractors into the local network. Last year the union concluded a redeployment agreement with BT which resulted in 1,100 London staff being declared surplus.
BT has refused to transfer most of these staff into shortage areas on the local network, whilst upping its requirement for "warm bodies' doing this work, thus "justifying' its requirements for contractors.
Written into this agreement was a company commitment to "consider' replacing contractors with direct labour.
Management has predictably not honoured this clause, going in the opposite direction.
Contracted out
This is in line with the real policy of cutting direct labour staff to around 100,000 by 1997, replacing them with cheaper, more flexible contract workers.
The TIC has set the strike for 18th April: balloting opens on 21st March. branches are organising mass meetings and are demanding a special edition of the union's journal.
Campaign
We will be approaching NCU sponsored MPs and the Labour Party generally to join a campaign against this scandal of the massively profitable BT trying to substitute a cheap and casualised workforce for direct labour.
Many London branches believe one day of strike action will not be enough, given the importance of the issues.
They will, nevertheless, be fighting for the maximum 'Yes' vote and turn-out on the day as a springboard to further action.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 58 12 March 1994, Page 7