Telecom workers in Dumfries took strike action for a second time yesterday in their fight for better pay.
Members of the Communication Workers Union, which represents BT Group employees, staged a protest outside the former telephone exchange in Loreburn Street.
It marked the second day of action after thousands of engineers and call centre workers across the country downed tools on Friday.
BT imposed an increase of £1,500 in April after lengthy talks with the union broke down.
But the CWU insists the rise represents a real terms pay cut due to soaring inflation.
The strike days were the first by the company’s workforce in 35 years.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “BT Group workers have been forced to take historic strike action in defence of their standard of living.”
The BT workers involved in yesterday‘s of their standard of living.”
The BT workers involved in yesterday’s protest were joined by members of the Dumfries and Galloway Trades Union Council and MSP Colin Smyth.
TUC secretary John Dennis told the Standard they wanted “to show solidarity with the CWU strikers who – like many other trade union members – are looking to protect their wages against raging inflation”.
And Mr Smyth said: “This is the first time BT workers have gone on strike in 35 years but the situation has become untenable and I was proud to attend the picket line in Dumfries on Monday and show my solidarity.
“At a time BT’s chief executive Philip Jansen has pocketed a 32 per cent pay increase, the least that workers can expect is fair pay.
“With the cost of living rocketing, workers should not be in the situation where they can’t afford to feed their families.”
A BT Group spokesperson said: “At the start of this year, we were in exhaustive discussions with the CWU that lasted for two months, trying hard to reach an agreement on pay. When it became clear that we were not going to reach an accord, we took the decision to go ahead with awarding our team members and frontline colleagues the highest pay award in more than 20 years, effective April 1.
“We have confirmed to the CWU we won’t be reopening the 2022 pay review, having already made the best award we could.
The spokesman added: “We’re balancing the complex and competing demands of our stakeholders and that includes making once-in-a-generation investments to upgrade the country’s broadband and mobile networks, vital for the UK economy and for BT Group’s future. While we respect the choice of our colleagues who are CWU members to strike, we will work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected.
