You may also be aware of media speculation around the numbers of jobs that may be 'at risk' through such a merger, with some analysts quoting up to 20% in both companies. This is obviously a time of concern and uncertainty for employees but at such an early stage the company may not be in a position to answer the questions you may have. Prospect will be seeking further facts and timescales from T-Mobile as we believe that transparency and good communication will be key to maintaining employee trust and morale throughout the process.

Prospect's Connect Sector has a lot of experience in dealing with merger discussions and safeguarding our members' interests, where we are recognised to negotiate on behalf of employees. Merger discussions, although crucial, are just the start of the process - rationalisations and strategic decisions that impact employees may not be immediate but will take place at some point in the future. As ever we will be on hand to offer advice on your rights at work and to represent members as appropriate.

It is vitally important you talk to others about union membership - it is not enough to sit back and see what happens -.the more members we have the better able we are to represent everyone's interests in T-Mobile.