BT Group to award highest pay rise to frontline workers in over 20 years

1. BT Group to award all BT, Openreach, Plusnet and EE frontline workers a £1,500 consolidated pay increase
2. Highest pay award for BT colleagues for more than twenty years, focussed on the lowest paid workers
3. Pay rise works out at around an 8% increase for some colleagues, and more than 3% for even the highest paid frontline workers – still above the UK average
4. Recognition for ‘keeping the country connected’ throughout the pandemic

Following the conclusion of negotiations with the Communications Workers Union (CWU), BT Group plans to award all frontline workers across each of its brands (BT, Openreach, Plusnet and EE) a £1,500 consolidated pay increase to their annual salaries, effective from 1 April 2022. This represents an increase of up to 8% for some colleagues and more than 3% for even the highest paid frontline workers. This contrasts well with the average of 3% typically being awarded by UK employers.

The UK is emerging from a two-year global pandemic which has created difficult trading conditions for BT Group and has exacerbated a trend of year-on-year revenue declines over the last five years. BT Group’s current pay rates compare well against competitors and in most cases remain at or above the market rate.

Philip Jansen, Chief Executive, BT Group, said:

“BT Group has continued to support the country as it recovers from the pandemic: keeping families connected, helping businesses to grow in new, online markets and supporting organisations to stay connected and adopt hybrid working. We took the decision not to use redundancy and the government’s furlough scheme as a direct consequence of the pandemic, and thanks to the contribution of all 100,000 BT people, we’ve continued to improve customer ratings and invest in growing our full-fibre and mobile networks. 

“While we have continued to extend and strengthen our networks to support the country’s recovery, the pandemic has hit our financial performance, like that of most companies. We know that the cost of living continues to rise and by making this award, we’re ensuring that our lower paid workers will benefit most and as soon as possible. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to make this pay award – the biggest in 20 years - to thank our colleagues and recognise their hard work.” 

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents frontline BT Group colleagues, remains a key business partner and is currently consulting with their members on this award. 

In 2021, BT Group paid frontline workers a £1,000 cash payment in addition to an award of £500 worth of BT Group shares - this was equivalent to a 5% increase to the average salary.

BT Group is the UK’s leading telecommunications and network provider and a leading provider of global communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities in the UK include the provision of fixed voice, mobile, broadband and TV (including Sport) and a range of products and services over converged fixed and mobile networks to consumer, business and public sector customers. For its global customers, BT provides managed services, security and network and IT infrastructure services to support their operations all over the world. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Openreach, which provides access network services to over 650 communications provider customers who sell phone, broadband and Ethernet services to homes and businesses across the UK.

For the year ended 31 March 2021, BT Group’s reported revenue was £21,331m with reported profit before taxation of £1,804m.

British Telecommunications plc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/about