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(Alliance News) - Openreach engineers have launched a two-day strike in a row over regrading, ending 21 years of industrial peace in the BT Group PLC.
Around 170 members of the Communication Workers Union walked out on Wednesday, with further stoppages planned next week.
The union said it is the first industrial action in the BT group since 1999.
National Officer Davie Bowman said engineers are "incensed" at the imposition of fiercely disputed regrading of their role.
"Whatever Openreach is trying to achieve has spectacularly misfired," he said.
An Openreach spokesman said: "We're surprised and saddened by the news, having worked closely with the union for more than a year-and-a-half to try and resolve this specific issue.
"None of the 170 repayments project engineers in question is at risk of losing their job or seeing any deterioration in their pay, terms and conditions.
"In fact we've offered them the option to upgrade to the better-paid, higher technical professional grade, but we've also given a cast-iron guarantee that they can choose to stay on their existing terms and conditions – which includes an extremely competitive salary of around GBP45,000 a year.
"We want to reassure customers that this action won't impact the quality of the services we provide, or affect our large ongoing investments in recruitment, training and a new full fibre broadband network for the UK."
By Alan Jones
source: PA
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