COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION

BT Openreach Operations – Team Member Grading

LTB 611/2008 advised members and Branches that, following the debate at Conference 2008, talks had recommenced with Openreach Operations on the protracted and vexed issue of team member grading.

Since then, a number of meetings have been held at our insistence to try to develop an acceptable way forward.  At the outset of this round of discussions, management put forward the concept of Foundation, Comprehensive and Advanced/Specialist.  The CWU team has neither rejected nor accepted this as a way forward but chose to explore this proposal.  It will be immediately recognised that this structure bears more than a passing resemblance to that agreed by the CWU, albeit in differing circumstances, in BT Retail Customer Services.

It must be understood that Openreach is proposing a single grade, not yet specified, in each of the Foundation, Core and Advanced/Specialist categories.  When we met with management in early September, the team, at that stage, requested from Openreach Operations the following points:

1. that the roles going into each category be further clarified
2. reconsideration of the combined Advanced/Specialist category since the range of grades covered would be too broad (C2 – D1)
3. in any career structure based on this model, how individuals would move up through the categories
4. the salary ranges for each of the categories
5. that a clear statement be given concerning existing people and grades.

At the subsequent meeting on 15 September 2008, management tried to address some of these points.  On a) the proposal was to include in the Foundation Category a number of currently B2 roles such as Faultsman Jointer; CAL/OMI; Cablers; Fibre Jointers.  In the Comprehensive box would sit CSEs; Pole Testers; Plant Protection Officers and those ‘chargehand’ type roles.
In the Advanced/Specialist category, it was proposed to put a range of roles currently graded C2 and C3.  On probing, management admitted that consideration was being given to placing Repayment Planners (D1) into the New Reward Framework (NRF) because of their financial responsibility.  The CWU team responded by indicating we would be unlikely to support the movement of CWU represented members into the NRF.

Openreach also presented early results of an external benchmarking exercise it had carried out using standard suppliers such as Watson Wyatt; Towers Perrin and Hay.  These companies specialise in salary surveys using standardise methodology which compares similar roles to find external market rates.  These initial results attempted to show, for instance, that the CSE pay rate (currently £23,594) was, respectively, 117% of comparable roles in all companies and 103% against those solely in utilities.  This does not reflect the whole picture for a number of reasons.  The figures used for comparators are median levels and the data was compiled prior to the BT 2008 pay award.  We have asked for the figures to be refreshed using the most up-to-date data.  Similar information was presented for a range of roles, some of which were 147% against external comparisons.

Further work is being done on advancement processes, including the possible use of external accreditation.  No proposals have yet been put forward on the salary ranges as, according to Openreach, the decisions on this by management will be ‘informed’ by external benchmarking.  We have not yet had a clear and definitive statement on existing members’ terms and conditions.

Conceptually, Openreach claim any final outcome to these discussions would have to be ‘cost neutral’ on both salary and pension liabilities.  This, for Openreach, is predicated on the fact that 30% of its workforce in Operations will reach 60 in the next 10 years.  It can be assumed that a significant proportion of those would be in the higher grades.  In terms of new entrants, data from elsewhere indicates that there is unlikely to be any or significant external recruitment for the next two years with the exception of Modern Apprentices

Clearly it can be appreciated that this is a complicated and extremely challenging set of negotiations.  It would be true to say that the CWU team harbours many reservations about the concept but is prepared to follow through the discussions to see if an acceptable way forward can be found.  The CWU executive team is acutely aware of the various strands of policy adopted on CSE grading over the years but is determined to move this issue on. Additionally the team has continued to raise pre-existing grading anomolies and seek resolution

Further reports will be given in due course.

Source: LTB728/08