Formal notice of two consecutive strike days has been served on Openreach – with the industrial action commencing in just under a fortnight unless  management  reconsiders the imposition of grading changes that have incensed the union’s small but intensely loyal membership of Repayment Project Engineers (RPEs).

Barring genuine movement  by bosses to address a raft of serious concerns that have been consistently  flagged up by RPEs since the move was first announced last July, the first industrial action to be witnessed anywhere in BT Group since November 1999 will take place on Wednesday February 24 and Thursday  February 25.

The initial two days of strike action – which will involve all of the union’s 170 D1-graded RPE members – follows one of the most overwhelming rejections of management contempt for legitimate workforce concerns to be witnessed in an industrial action ballot in generations.

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