Sky News understands company officials have written to the CWU in recent days seeking clarification on whether it will guarantee staff on the so-called life and limb contract. Dave Ward, the CWU general secretary, refused to rule out disruption to 999 services when asked about it last month, with the union said to be ready to reveal strike dates as early as Wednesday. BT staff last month voted to go on strike for the first time in 35 years, with union bosses arguing that a £1,500 pay rise proposed by the company was insufficient to help staff cope with cost of living crisis. The former state monopoly is responsible for responding to all 999 calls and is drawing up contingency plans to manage disruption if CWU members trained to provide the service strike. A CWU spokesman said: “The CWU has not yet called for any industrial action, so any talk of a possible strike is pure speculation at this stage.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:31 BT staff vote for national strike BT is among a number of companies, including British Airways and Royal Mail, facing the most significant industrial unrest for years as millions of Britons struggle to cope with rising inflation. The telco’s executives are said to be confident of their ability to manage mobile and broadband networks during strikes after extensive stress testing during the pandemic. BT declined to comment on life and limb contract discussions, but said: “BT Group has awarded its highest pay rise for frontline colleagues in more than 20 years – an average rise of 5% and up to 8% for those with the lowest wages. “Our job is to balance the competing demands of BT Group stakeholders and this requires careful management, especially in a challenging economic environment.” He said it would “work to keep our customers and the country connected”.
