back to article BT opens 'voluntary job leavers' scheme for merging Enterprise and Global units

BT is launching a voluntary redundancy program for the merging Enterprise and Global divisions – something of an inevitability since the £100 million cost-cutting move was confirmed in December. In a message to all "eligible" colleagues operating in the newly created BT Business division, the former British state monopoly didn …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ... launching a voluntary redundancy program for the merging Enterprise and Global divisions ...

    Yep ...

    Been there , done that, suffered the consequences.

    After working for ~11 years at a state owned telco, it was privatised* by a newly elected government doing the exact opposite of what it said it would do.

    The new management's idea was to weed out all traces of the previous workforce within 5 years and I managed to survive for ~4 years more by staying on my toes, working very hard and keeping ahead of events through my contacts in the company.

    But that was not seen as collaborative by my superiors who were pressed to meet quotas.

    And my contacts eventually dried up. On top of that, the unions were in step with the board as they obtained their own share of the deal and looked the other way.

    The net result of my not being collaborative meant my being without a stable job for 5 years as in such cases, blacklisting was the norm.

    Moral?

    There's absolutely nothing voluntary about these so called "voluntary redundancy programs".

    It's just another way of replacing experienced professionals in the 40+ age bracket with younger, inexperienced workers with low salaries.

    * Not really, more like given away to international investment funds. No need to go into the details on how all that works.

    .

  2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    In BT voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes are business as usual.

    It's worth noting the union's contribution. The unit is top heavy but it will be middle management being let go.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The last round of redundancies already got rid of a few in middle management, but mostly the "resources". Most of the talented ones went elsewhere. Glad I did.

    2. Derezed

      C-suite are assets, not costs so why would c-suite ever cut costs there? Everything below senior management? A cost to be mercilessly slashed .

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Some people wish to spend more time with families, some want to learn new skills and others will be considering new opportunities elsewhere."

    I think, however, MOST people are looking to earn enough to, oh I don't know, feed their families and keep a roof over their heads, while those at the top just sit there and think of what second or third holiday home they can buy.

    It's no surprise that the younger generation don't seem to interested in Tech anymore. It's an area that has become extremely volatile over the past few years.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not quite part of that mass exodus, but my plans to retire from BT in a couple of months are now on hold...

    We got the big call that we were being merged into BT Business, but as part of that merge they would also be merging 4 sites down to just one. The options for us was a 3-hour/150 miles each way commute, redeploying to a new job or redundancy.

    Unfortunately <cough> I decided on redundancy... so that's 5 more months of pay, 30k for redundancy and a bonus for having then completed 50 years of service (although I don't imagine they will be asking my thoughts on the changes I've seen over that time for the company rag)... and a delayed start to my pension

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Suggest you need to rapidly assess whether you will be better off withdrawing your current voluntary arrangement and putting yourself forward for the new scheme, hopefully your union (or an employment solicitor) will provide the necessary to twist HR’s arm to improve your golden hand shake.

      1. Derezed
        Headmaster

        Golden parachute brother.

        1. NeilPost

          It you are a BT 50 year lifer, you will have a (rare as hens teeth for any current employee) BT Final Salary pension. Make sure they tip some money into that too.

    2. NoneSuch Silver badge

      My uncle will be taking the package as well. This is the third time he's done this and made a decent packet each time. If it wasn't for the tax man, he'd be well into Easy Street.

    3. Persona Silver badge

      Congratulations. I always hoped to get the voluntary redundancy package and would have done so if I could have been bothered to hang on for another year. That said it would have been a miserable, pointless and soul destroying year.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The problem is just like last time. The people they don't want to go will apply and be told no you can't go, the people they want to leave won't apply as they have a cushty little number.

  6. s. pam
    Facepalm

    "it's human nature to take stock and think about personal priorities"

    that's a fancy way of saying "you better find the door to a new job before we fsck you lot"

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lucky escape for me

    I feel I am on a lucky escape as BT are transferring some us technical types over to TCS. I do feel like a lucky rat running up the mast as the ship sinks and boiler explodes. I really do hope it can be stopped but there is a disconnect between the senior management teams as they have failed to give good direction at a ground level.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    TCS is a "lucky" escape? SOme colleagues who were TUPPE'd over two years ago would vehemently disagree

    Once you get past the shiny welcome speech, and the glittering promises.... well, it can't be polished.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      TCS would be a lucky escape if the alternative was, say, living in a dumpster, as long as you're taking about a dumpster full of dead hookers and currently on fire...

      What terrifies me if that Jaguar Landover might use TCS in it's quest for self driving vehicles.

  9. Claverhouse
    Happy

    The Dear Old Days

    "Some people wish to spend more time with families, some want to learn new skills and others will be considering new opportunities elsewhere."

    .

    Sounds like the standard list of excuses for Tory Ministers' resignations from the 1980s on.

  10. steviebuk Silver badge

    Work experience

    1990 I believe it was, I went to a BT warehouse for my work experience at school as my dad worked at BT office in Greenford.

    While I was there they said I was a jinx as they got a visit telling them the place would be closed and they'd either be made redundant or voluntary redundancy was available.

    Then I believe it was a couple of years after my dads site closed and he got made redundant. Sadly, just being over 50 and despite having been a manager there. No one elsewhere was willing to hire him or the same wage so he never worked full time again. Has had to survive on his pension and the shares they gave him since.

    They're business practices in the warehouse saw so much waste. I did different departments and one was people ordering new phones. Then there was a skip full of them. Brand new phones, some used but most new. I said "Can't these be resold, surely?" They said no, once opened we aren't allowed to resell them if returned so we have to skip them. Ridiculous, they could of sold them as opened with a discount.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Inertia

    The cap used to be 24 months salary not 12 months as offered with these terms. This will likely persuade only the most marketable candidates to consider this as an offer not to be refused.

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