BT and Openreach workers set for second strike on August 30-31

Workers at BT are set for a further two days of strikes at the end of the month.

More than 40,000 BT workers held a two-day national strike on July 29 and August 1 after the operator refused to meet with union leaders who turned down an across-the-board pay increase of £1,500 to frontline workers. It was the first time that BT staff had taken industrial action in 35 years. 

With BT still refusing to reopen its 2022 pay review, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has confirmed that workers will once again strike on August 30-31.

Speaking on a livestreamed conference announcing the strike, CWU general secretary Dave Ward confirmed that the union has served notice to BT Group and Openreach for its intention to strike for 48 hours. He said: “When you’re in a dispute like this you’ve got to keep the pressure on, so the announcement for the next two strikes is important and we know that the last strikes rocked the company.”

The union leader said that managers at the company were “taken aback” by the level of support for the strikes, and suggested that the management of BT is “fed up with the actions of the CEO and the board.”

Responding to the latest declaration of strike action, a spokesperson for BT told Reuters that “We have made the best pay award we could and we are in constant discussions with the CWU to find a way forward from here. In the meantime, we will continue to work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected.”

At a time when the UK looks to be headed to a general strike over executive profit hoarding, low pay increases during the cost-of-living crisis and climate inaction, the CWU also confirmed that Royal Mail Group and Post Office workers will also strike on August 26.