Dumfries and Galloway posties, BT workers and emergency call handlers walk out in pay battle

Posties, BT workers and emergency call handlers in Dumfries and Galloway braved a downpour and walked out yesterday in their ongoing battle for fairer pay.

Staff, represented by the Communications Workers Union (CWU), downed tools for 24 hours in protest over the deals they have been given this year.

BT handed workers a £1,500 pay increase, an average of five per cent, while postal workers had a two per cent rise “imposed” on them.

Philip Jansen, CEO of BT, earned £3.5 million last year and Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson was paid more than £500,000 between pay and bonuses.

The union’s general secretary, Dave Ward, said: “Philip Jansen won’t justify his decision to put workers into serious hardship – and risk further lives – because he can’t.

“A company that made more than £1 billion in profit – and a boss who gave himself a 32 per cent pay rise – cannot and should not be ignoring these people.

“This is a crisis that BT management cannot keep on hiding from.

“When they decide to get round the table and negotiate a fair deal to end this dispute, the CWU will be waiting.”

Mr Ward also accused the Royal Mail CEO of “dodging reality” after he avoided discussions between the mail group and the union.

Staff are due to walk out again on Tuesday.

He added: “Instead of sitting down and sorting out his problems like an adult, Simon Thompson chose to be a vanishing act instead.

“When someone like him earns £62,750 a month and can give himself six-figure bonuses, it is a disgrace that he sees it fit to disrespect our members in such a way.

“Simon can’t dodge the reality that a mood of rebellion is sweeping postal workers who won’t accept Thompson’s hostile and bizarre behaviour.

“Postal workers go above and beyond every day, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “On Friday, 14 October, we announced losses of £219 million in the first half of the year.

“This once again demonstrates the urgent need for Royal Mail to
change.

“Further strike action would materially increase our losses for the full year and may necessitate further operational restructuring and job losses.”

A BT spokesperson said: “We have confirmed to the CWU that we won’t be reopening the 2022 pay review, having already made the best award we could.”