The ballot will open on Monday 19 June and will close on Wednesday 5 July. The BT Committee are seeking a mandate from you to enable us to put whatever pressure we can on BT to come back to the negotiating table.

Not only do we believe that BT's position is divisive but it is also unprecedented. Earlier this year they reached agreement to pay team members increases of 2.6% over a 15 month period. Team Members also receive overtime payments and guaranteed pay progression.

It is the company's view that this year's reduced bonuses for the Reward Framework compensate for a freeze on base pay but we know that it does not go any way to making up for the extra hours and level of commitment that our members demonstrate consistently.

BT argue that they are making some increases to base pay by implementing the equal pay review and starting pay on promotion (i.e. part of your terms and conditions of employment).

RPI is currently running at 3.7% and CPI at 2.9% so for Prospect members in the Reward Framework a pay freeze represents a cut in pay in real terms. Furthermore BT has failed to acknowledge and address the issues around pay differentials, pay progression and market levels of pay.

The response from members so far has been very encouraging and we have had a sharp increase in membership applications. Our meetings and conference calls have been well supported across the business so the next step is for us to be able to demonstrate to BT that we are speaking with the full support of members. This challenge is one of several that are facing members, the review of the Reward Framework, potential changes to the BT Pension Scheme and managerial job losses are also on the agenda. Now is the time for us to demonstrate our collective strength and give Prospect a mandate to explore all possibilities to bring BT back to the negotiating table.

At this stage we are only asking for your reaction to the pay freeze and once we have a result we will do all that we can to seek a negotiated settlement. Should that be unsuccessful we may have to ballot you again to see what further action you may be prepared to take and so this is but the first step in our campaign.

Please endorse the position of the BT Committee and vote to reject the freeze on basic pay by BT. Thank you for your continued support.

You will shortly receive a separate email with your unique logon details and a link to the snap ballot in order to cast your vote. If you do not receive an e-ballot within the next 24 hours then please email [email protected]