1,000 signatures reached
To: Allison Kirkby, CEO BT Group
BT don't hang up on Liverpool
We, the undersigned, urge BT and Openreach to withdraw their proposal to relocate 600 jobs from Liverpool. We also ask that they collaborate with the CWU, the Combined Authority, the local council, and the MP to consider all options for retaining these jobs in Liverpool.
Why is this important?
Around 600 employees are set to be hit by the plans, which will see some workers being forced to commute to Manchester and Leeds to keep their jobs, while other roles will be cut entirely.
The jobs being impacted includes work from across BT’s remit, with everyone from 999 callers to Openreach workers.
The jobs being impacted includes work from across BT’s remit, with everyone from 999 callers to Openreach workers.
One particular group of employees seriously affected by the announcement are Relay UK Workers, who enable deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate over the phone.
This highly skilled, specialised work is vital for enabling communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and the CWU fear that this may be the beginning of the end for a service which has provided a lifeline for thousands of people across the country.
The union’s call to keep these jobs in Liverpool has been widely supported across Liverpool, and has been backed by local councillors, MPs and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, whose mayor Steve Rotheram has written to BT urging them to reconsider their decision.
Decisions like this should always consider the real impact on frontline employees and their families.
Decisions like this should always consider the real impact on frontline employees and their families.
Changes such as redundancy or relocation can cause distress, uncertainty and disruption. These employees work hard every day and are key to BT’s success.
The CWU believe that it is economically viable for BT to maintain a presence in Liverpool and that is the best outcome for staff and service users.