At this stage, nearly everyone should be clear about whether they are in scope to transfer to either company or remain in BT. We're aware that there are a small group of employees which the three Employers have not yet reached agreement on whether those employees are in scope to transfer or not. We have continued to raise this issue with BT and put pressure on them to resolve this as soon as possible. The union has provided individual advice to some members in that situation and anyone needing further assistance should get in touch as soon as possible.

Discussions between BT, Barclays and Cable and Wireless have now begun and we're starting to map out the detail of what this all means.

Terms and Conditions of Employment
As explained previously, we're looking to build a matrix of all your terms and conditions of employment. This captures what your existing contract sets out, and what this will mean post TUPE transfer. At this stage, we've been gathering this information, understanding how all the different terms and conditions are applied and discussing what is proposed for post transfer.

It has been agreed that this will be captured on the BT sharepoint, so you'll be able to see which issues are under discussion and which have been provisionally agreed. One or two of the more straight forward and non-controversial issues have already been provisionally agreed. This will allow members to follow the negotiations and compare the policies, and flag any thoughts, questions and concerns to us. By looking at this matrix, you can also see the list of terms and conditions that are due to be discussed, so if you think there's anything missing from that list, please let us know asap.

Consent and Screening Process
You'll be receiving formal notification from BT over the next couple of days which will confirm which of the three populations you fall into. You'll also be asked to confirm the accuracy of personal data and provide consent for BT to share this with your proposed new Employer. We recommend you take great care and check this thoroughly to ensure that everything is accurate. Barclays and Cable and Wireless are keen to have this personal information to ensure they have enough time to make the transfer process as smooth as possible.

There is also a screening process which both organisations use, as part of their Global Regulations. This can seem like quite a unwieldy process, but we're assured that it is very rare that any problems arise from this process, and that if there are any problems they will be dealt with sympathetically and constructively. We have challenged the necessity of this, but have been informed that it is compulsory and standard practice. We therefore advise members to engage with this and complete the process as soon as possible. Further information on this will be made available to you via BT, Barclays and Cable and Wireless which ought to answer any further questions on this.

Next Steps
We're expecting our meeting next week to provide a lot more information and signal the start of the detailed communications in earnest. We recognise that many of the serious questions that members have raised are yet to be dealt with, and expect further information on these issues/terms and conditions to be available shortly.
We do see the communications BT are issuing in advance, but will continue to try and support these with our own comms to members. We will also hold another conference call when we've got more details.

In the mean time, members with any questions or concerns should feel free to keep in touch with Prospect.

Our team is:

Sarah Ward (National Officer) via [email protected]
Paul Crosby [email protected]
Ian Varnes [email protected]

Or you can contact us via the union's helpdesk on 020 8971 6060.