imployers have taken advantage of the technology to move work previously carried locally to greentfield sites in high unemplovment areas where they are able to impose sweatshop pay and conditions.
BT handling CHUTES and 151 residential sales, billing and repair enquiries ( increasingly THOUSES norm. But in contrary to most other call centres the majority of staff working in them are members of a recognised trade union, the Communication Workers' Permanent members of staff still retain their pay conditions negotiated with the Management has sought avoid their commitments by the massive use of agency staff, need. less to say at greaty coucca rate of pay and conditions. It has also applied a hugely repressive regime which forced large numbers of permanent staff to leave the company through ill-health, stress etc.
traditionally non-militant Clerical of the CWU SCCHUl reacted by negotiating a lower starting grade for permanent staff to reduce the dillerential costs in an opportunistic effort to retain membership.
Finally call centre union members decided enough was enough and forced their Icadership ballot them over their reliance on agency staff and management's bullying style. The resultan: 81% Yes and practically unanimous turnout on November 22 showed the depin or iccunk on the issues.
The compromise agreement conform reached on the eve of the second day of strike action on December o to review managcacus prac tices will probably result in a temporary casing off on the part CWU 100/151 CSC INDUSTRIA for a better FICIAL
ВТ call centre Pete Cooper
workers - the new militants
of management, but the fundamental issues of super exploitation are not going to go away and it is unlikely that this action is going to be the last in the centres. management's ruthlessness is the conomics of under Local telephone 074983888 networks around the world have always made losses. residential telephone is only used for I1 minutes class staff a day, and the call revenue generated does not and never has covcred the cost of providing and maintainins inc local sciwork between the telephone exchange and the customer. The solution adopica in most countries was d nationalised monopoly provider with the cost of local calls higher than cost charges on national and international calls. These were overwhelmingly which subsidised local residential calls. A privatised BT neither wishes to continue this cross subsidisation, nor is it in fact permitted to do so by burner. Blair vied with Project" has nothing to do with the anti-Ken UvThatcher's praises. The inestone compo yue New Labour government reneged on its promises Consistency in to revoke Thatcher's crip- American xing anti-union legisla foreign policy tion. It hands ove important financial con- In 1946, Truman's Secreeg interest rates tary of State, Cordell Hull: - to the Governors of said "Leadership toward a the Bank of England.
new system of internaNew Labour begins to tional relationships in trade and other economic affairs ***** will devolve largely upon Sue Townsend, creator the United States because of Adrian Mole, asked why the latest volume strength, which should assure us the leadership of the riole diaries is metaphor for New an awful lot of interests". froth and very little cof "We must continue shap***** i tem that works for Question: Who said this? America* "The denial of social ser- retary of sate, deleine Albright. seckers is inhumane". March 28, • Michacl Howard 1960:
• Jack Straw • The Archbishop of Dr Verwoerd, the midwife of apartheid, two (Answer below)
days after the massacre of So Africans in Sharpville, Contrary to general peacefully protesting The Blair Witch against the Pass Laws,
goes with it primanly for reasons of pure national
the regulator Oftel. The pressure to end any ciement of cross subsidisation has with the advent of increasingly fierce competition for the hugely profitable national and international call and data traffic.
3T has increased its line rental local call charges (for and me) relatise charges, reduced its investment, up productivity from the workforce in the division - much more so than on other BT divisions. One of the consequences has been that management has subjected staff to harsh work regimes and disciplinary pressures.
It remains to be seen what ellect the contradictory pressures that the growth of the internet and of mobile nhones and of the end of has on the local network, ever greater competitive OFES sures and BT's unquenchable hirst for profit almost certainly mean that the December agreement will only be a truce in a long war to come. appealed to tend di understand that South Africa believed in justice and right and that all acknowledged the rights of the black man ... "We intend to do what is just and right as a Chris. tian nation in acalins with the people and fel. low-men in this country of ours ... Fairness to cach, justice to all." There must have been Robben Island when Nelson Mandela and his fel. low prisoners heard this Who is being swamped? Population of Kent -Clinton's SecNumber of asylum seekers Kent County Council has reconsibility for -2,200 (0.17 per cent) Dover, recent scene of fewish campaign and National Front activity has 790 people seeking of Dover's population. (Source: Kent Social Services -1999)