Who does Prospect represent in the C&D sector?
Managers, specialists and professionals, including sales people, IT professionals, engineers, finance and HR, project managers and front line managers.
How many members do we represent?
15,000.
What are the top three issues we are facing?
Pay, pensions and technological change.
Is Prospect doing any specific campaigning in the C&D sector right now?
Brexit implications are huge for all telecommunications companies, but particularly at BT. They have lots of EU nationals working in the UK and have options in terms of moving their work to other EU countries where they have a presence.
What do you think are likely to be the big issues over the next five years?
Brexit, convergence of telecommunications and entertainment through a variety of methods, such as Netflix and Amazon. Also, fibre to the home will be one of the areas that BT will be investing heavily in the short to medium term.
Who are some of the big companies who negotiate with us?
BT, Telefonica, Airwave and Ericsson.
Are most of our members in this industry permanent employees or freelance/contactors?
Largely permanent employees, some contractors.
How do we support our C&D members?
Collective bargaining for pay and pensions and terms and conditions of employment; campaigning on jobs, lobbying Ofcom and Government.
What’s a recent success we’ve had supporting a member, or members?
We’ve recently won an appeal against dismissal for one of our members, which has quite literally made the difference between someone having a job and being without one. We’ve got a team of highly skilled and trained case handlers who are available and responsive to members when they find themselves in difficult situations.
Why should someone working in C&D join Prospect?
Prospect, and its predecessor union Connect, have a strong reputation and proud history of representing managers, professional and specialists in the telecommunications and digital sectors. We’ve adapted in line with the industry to ensure that we’re relevant and influential, providing a high level of service to members and expert representation in the workplace.