This is an important time in development of your career and I would like to thank those of you who could attend our recent members meeting.

At what was a very well attended meeting alot of issues were discussed but it is clear that the continuing change agenda being pursued by BT management, particularly the job family process, is causing alot of concern among staff.

On that basis it is vitally important that you understand a number of basic rights that you havein your workplace which the Union can help you ensure are respected.  The changes being imposed at this time will have a profound affect on your career into the future in terms of your potential earnings and career development.  You should, like many of your colleagues, look carefully at steps you can take to question elements of the change programme which you are unsure of or unhappy with which include the following:

Appeals Mechanism
Some staff have opted to raise their concerns on the job family results through the appeals mechanism.  The CWU takes the view that you should enjoy the same right to representation i.e. have a trade union official represent you, in this procedure, given its nature, as you would do in the grievance procedure.  However it has not been made clear by management that this is the case and if you are in doubt do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

Grievance Procedure
The grievance procedure is there for you to raise any issue you have work that you are not happy with and if, like a number of your colleagues, you have missed the Job Family Appeal deadline and you still have a concern then you should not worry as you can still raise any issue you have through the internal grievance procedure. 

This procedure provides for a right to representation which means that the union can assist you through the process and attend meetings with you to provide you with guidance and advice as required.

This is an impotant right and one that you should avail of if needed.  This right applies to all BT individually and has absolutely nothing to do with whether the company recognises the CWU or not.

Other staff have raised the concern about their duties and resposibilites changing.  If you hve any queries on this then you should contact the undersigned, suffice to say that your job cannot be simply changed because it suits management to do so.  Your day to day activity and regular duties and responsibilities are an important of your contract of employment and cannot be swept to one side as a result of the job family process.  It is important that what you do now is not unfairly changed as a result of this process and you should not be afraid to question this with the assistance of the undersigned.  I attach for your review the previous circular I issued on this topic.

I would ask that you continue to recruit your colleagues and encourage them to join the CWU and if you need assistance in this regard do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.