Call centre workers vote for national strike action, in light of “insulting pay cuts”

'The pain is on workers in this country, none of the pain is on shareholders'

Call centre workers have voted for the first national call centre strike in British history, after members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at BT Group voted to strike against “unjust” and “unsustainable” pay. It follows revelations that food pantries were being offered in various call centres around the country, which have been described as "de facto food banks", offered to workers that cannot afford to eat on the wages they are paid. "The pain is on workers in this country, none of the pain is on shareholders," said General Secretary Dave Ward. "In the middle of the biggest cost of living in decades, BT posted a profit of £1.3 billion. It paid out £700 million to shareholders." "They chose not to value their workers." The CWU Union is seeking a pay rise for its workers in line with inflation, which is currently running at 9.1%. The union said they would be writing to all Labour MPs and expecting their support in strike action. "I don't know why the Labour party seems to sitting on the fence," said Dave Ward. This is a breaking news story and will be updated...