Telewest archive
Telewest - NT&IT Regional Networks Operations (Non-Supervisory Grades 4 & 5 Copper, Access And Last Drop Engineers) : Ballot Result
730
Telewest - CPE Collections
The company has advised that the Operational Director for Customer
Installations has taken the decision that in addition to the in-house teams and
contract collection teams, BBE installers will also be used to help reduce the
backlog of voluntary disconnect collections.
This will simply involve the teams attending customers' premises during am or pm
slots, collecting the CPE shown on the work order, terminating the drop in the
omni box and returning the stock to stores during their scheduled visits to
collect stock. Currently they do have the capacity within field installs as work
volumes in some areas are light. This work will help the field staff maintain
their productivity levels as each visit will carry two points value. The company
has given assurances that they have looked at this as a partial and temporary
solution and as these are voluntary disconnects, there should be no issues
regarding a BBE's ability to pick up the equipment. Furthermore that there is
no suggestion of BBEs turning their attention to involuntary disconnects.
The information being sought from Head Office is with regard to the two points
allocation and whether there is any evidence that it should be more.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
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Telewest - Quick Start Pilot Launch
Telewest has advised the Union of a pilot that is known as Quick Start
which has been running since 1 October 2005.
Quick Start is a new process designed to give customers in pre-wired homes the
option to carry out their own installation, provided the services they require
and their property meet defined criteria. If they choose to carry out their own
installation Telewest will send them the equipment they require and full
instructions. They will also be given a Freephone number to call to activate
their service, and support in case they experience difficulties. This direct
fulfilment is a widely used service channel in other companies.
The purpose in running a pilot of Quick Start is to test the process in
practice. Results of the pilot will be monitored and is being run for customers
in the Midlands and North East.
The pilot was launched on 1 October 2005. It had been expected that the pilot
would last for approximately two months or 400 installs but management have
advised that the trial will cease on 16 December and resume again on 5 January
2006 in the same regions. The reason given is to provide a larger sample size to
validate some of the initial findings.
It is clear from the attached briefing that this process is intended to reduce
or meet the current rising volumes of work. The Union intends to discuss this
with the company in the New Year.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment
724
CWU And Telewest Ballot Communications
As Branches are aware, the Executive have been pursuing the terms of
Proposition 21 carried at the TFSE Annual Conference 2005 with regard to
extending the depth of recognition in Telewest. Following a series of site
access meetings - which Branches are thanked for providing support to the
Telewest EC and Telecom organisers - the ballot of the workforce in NT&IT of the
field based, non-supervisory Grades 4 and 5 Access Engineers, Last Drop
Engineers and Copper Technicians, within the Regional Networks Operations
function, opened on 10 December 2005.
A copy of the company's publication which we circulated directly to the affected
workforce, together with a leaflet explaining the benefits of union
membership/recognition are attached for the information of Branches.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment 1
Attachment 2
Telewest - Total Reward
Telewest at corporate level have been working on addressing the perception
of its terms and conditions as a totality, in particular over and above that
seen in the monthly pay slip.
The attached is a specimen letter which is individually tailored that has been
released and will continue to go out to all employees of Telewest.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Click here for Total Reward PDF (converted) you do not need any extra plug ins to view
Telewest
- Pay & Reward 2005 - Ballot Results
Branches and local representatives may wish to be advised of the
outcome of the consultative ballot:
Votes in Acceptance 134
Votes in Rejection 23
The company has been notified of the results and have been urged to make
arrangements for the uplift and arrears to be paid in the November salaries. The
Union awaits confirmation of this request.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary (National)
Telewest - Consumer Field
Operations - Points Matrix
Previous feedback on Pay and Reward has been focused on that applied for
Service and the Last Drop OEs.
Further work has been carried out by Telewest on the matrix for Consumer and
Install and the proposed changes are attached.
The company has reported that all Installers with the exception of those on sick
leave have been shown the revised matrix to give feedback on its acceptance. It
has been reported that the majority of the workforce have approved the changes.
The purpose of this briefing is to seek verification via the Telewest
representatives and to see if there is any support and evidence for the view
that the present time and points for telephony should be left unchanged.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary (National)
New points matrix click here to view.
Telewest - Pay 2005 - Ballot Arrangements
Arrangements have been made for a consultative ballot to be held and the
timetable is as follows:
Ballot Opens - Monday 3 October 2005
Ballot Closes - Monday 17 October 2005
Ballot papers will be dispatched by first class post on 3 October to home
addresses of those Broadband Engineers entitled to vote.
If you are aware of any BBEs that do not receive a ballot paper and who are
members, please contact my office as soon as possible quoting their name,
address and membership number. Or contact your
branch or email
branch@cwuglasgow.com .
Yours sincerely
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary (National)
Telewest/NTL Merger
On Monday 3 October 2005, the respective Boards announced that having
cleared the detail, they are recommending to its shareholders a package that
will, subject to legal, shareholder and regulatory approval, create a merger of
the two companies.
The Union has already been in contact with Telewest and they report that as it
was part of the disclosure process, it will be business as usual with regard to
extending the Union's recognition and that talks will take place shortly on
providing access to the workforce prior to the ballot.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary (National)
Telewest - Sick Absence Reviews (SARs)
In the Telewest absence policy document, it states that employees can
be put on SAR after 3 periods of absence in any rolling 6-month period or where
managers have concerns regarding the level or authenticity of the absence.
However, it has come to the attention of the Union that in Consumer Division, HR
management in their "How to Manage" documents, state that line managers can
implement SAR after 3 periods of absence or after 5 days of absence. So, after
an exemplary attendance record members could, after a week, be faced with a SAR,
which when reading the policy statement would suggest that this will not happen.
This issue has been taken up with HR management, to which they have responded.
They report that Consumer Operations took the decision at the time of
implementation to provide line management with a guideline on the 'level of
absence' trigger in the policy statement. This was required to ensure
consistency of application across the country. This was announced and
communicated at the time and subsequently in 2 Team meeting briefs and the
Consumer Operations Focus magazine.
However, management want to stress that "a level of management discretion still
remains in these cases" although a 5-day absence is flagged to the appropriate
manager "he/she can still decide not to take any action dependent on the nature
of the absence and previous absence history". Branches and local Union
representatives should take note of the guidance, that there is a discretionary
element and that they should challenge where the discretionary element has not
been taken up in reasonable circumstance.
Management accept the perception of disciplinary action being taken in the
context of a process that has warnings, timescales and a similar stepped number
of levels. They believe however, that the policy is distinct and is completely
separate from the company's disciplinary process. Their stance is backed up by
past and recent events. Past levels were double the current 7.8% and are the
best performance levels recorded to date. Notwithstanding the progress made by
the company in reducing sick absence using SARs, it is questionable whether it
will be a tool to achieve further reductions to the high levels of absence and
whether work organisation and the consequent stress levels are a significant
contributory factor in these levels of absence.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary (National)
The CWU has protested to Telewest over company plans to impose significant changes to field staff attendance patterns. Mo re....