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Service Delivery Transformation
October 2009
Members top be balloted again following their
rejection of Openreach SDT proposals in historicaly hight ballot turnout!
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TO BRANCHES WITH MEMBERS IN OPENREACH
Dear Colleague,
Openreach – Service Delivery Transformation
Since the result of the last consultative ballot was announced, the CWU
Executive team has held a series of increasingly urgent meetings with both
Openreach and BT Group to try to find an acceptable solution that would remove
the uncertainty from our Complex members faced with potential outsourcing.
Given the Union's bad experiences with the TUPE regulations, this had to be a
real and immediate priority.
In the slightly longer term, the CWU team were conscious of the threat to jobs
in Service and Volume through efficiency gains, mobile broadband and increased
competition. If Complex work went out along with work on Next Generation
Access, there would be nowhere to redeploy surpluses. The threat to jobs in
Openreach is very real and very much across all work functions. The only
difference potentially would be the means and the timing.
As previously reported, there is a very real link between the overtime
currently worked and jobs. That is why much of the negotiation has focused on
Attendance Patterns. When the T&FS Executive recommended the Attendance
Pattern Framework, it did so in the knowledge that there were no further
improvements that could be achieved in the negotiations.
Since then, Openreach has confirmed that the Attendance Pattern Framework
represented its full and final proposals and that it could not make further
concessions.
The Executive has also held two meetings of Branches to sound out views of the
Union's direction. Whilst not going into all that was said, it was clear that
there were mixed views on our next steps.
Given all of the above, the Union's Executive instructed a team led by the DGS
(T) to urgently explore with BT a possible solution to implementation and that
an agreed outcome is the subject of a further democratic consultation exercise
with the membership in Openreach.
The T&FS Executive considered the outcome of those talks, along with the range
of views expressed by Branches, at an emergency meeting on Wednesday 14 October
2009. It was agreed to recommend the outcome and the Flexible Attendance
Framework to members in Openreach and that the consultation may be by way of an
electronic ballot in the coming weeks.
Whilst it is true to say the detail of the Attendance Framework has not
changed, significant improvements in the way and timing of implementation have
been secured. I attach the full correspondence.
Project Beck
If the CWU agrees the proposals (via a consultation exercise), then BT can
assure the CWU that it will not proceed with the transfer of Complex to a third
party (Project Beck). For clarity, it is the endorsement of and implementation
of the Attendance Framework that will make Project Beck go away. There are
further assurances later about insourcing work currently done by contract and
in India.
Attendance Framework
The implementation of the framework will be phased over a significant period
with additional interim parameters.
On 1 January 2010 team member contracts will be varied.
From 1 January 2010 to 1 April 2010 there will be a transition/awareness period
of three months during which local negotiations with CWU Branches will take
place to determine the actual patterns people will work. This will vary
dependant on work function, geography and genuine customer need, but will be
governed by preset parameters as set out in the attached documentation.
Between 1 April 2010 and 1 June 2010, the negotiated patterns would come into
effect. The table in Appendix A of the documentation shows what the maximum
numbers of Saturdays in this period would be. This period would run to 31
December 2010.
In terms of actual start/finish times, during the period 1 April 2010 until 31
March 2011, the number of lates would be no more than 1 in 6 and the latest
rostered finish time would be 19:30 other than Saturdays when the latest
rostered finish time will be no later than 18:00.
These are of course maximums and are subject to local negotiation with the CWU
within the parameters.
Complex Transformation
Openreach is proposing a number of changes in working practices and processes
aimed at achieving an improvement in its cost base of 17.5% by 1 April 2011.
If this is achieved, along with the changes in attendance, Openreach believes
it would be in a position to potentially insource work, including poling,
currently carried out by contract.
Off-shored Work
If the new attendances deliver cost savings and coverage, Openreach will
revisit the basis on which the work was off-shored with a view to resourcing it
with the UK based direct labour.
Implementation Steering Group
There would be a joint Steering Group, including lay CWU representatives, which
would oversee the various programmes and implementation to ensure consistency
of application.
Ballot
As previously indicated, the proposals will be the subject of membership
consultation.
This is not ignoring previous consultation exercise. Not to go down this path
would be ignoring reality. This is absolutely the last chance to reach
agreement through peaceful negotiations. It would be quite wrong and
undemocratic to deny members in Openreach this opportunity.
Further details will be published in due course.
Yours sincerely,
Assistant Secretary
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