If you haven’t received your membership card yet you soon will. If you have any questions please contact and we will do our best to help you.

If you haven’t already, check out SOME of the many BENEFITS of your union membership here; http://www.cwu.org/benefits.html and

http://www.cwu.one1one.co.uk/  and http://www.cwu.one1one.co.uk/specialoffers.cfm

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Together we can make a REAL difference

Any organisation needs honest feedback on how it is doing and we, the administrators of the ‘Workers site welcome your thoughts, ideas and feedback on what we can do to help you gain information and improve the service the CWU provides.

The union movement is all about involvment and input. If you want to get involved either as a rep or as a point of contact please contact us. Remember all correspondence to this site is confidential.

Taking any active role in the movement will increase your knowledge and your awareness of  the issues we all face in employment and society in general.

Becoming a union member helps us all to achieve…….

Respect and Dignity in the Workplace

 ”Where trade unions are most firmly organized, there are the rights of the people most respected. “

Samuel Gompers

for the news about workers that you probably won’t find on the TV…

Just a quick reminder to all of you “Thinking” of joining the CWU.
Don’t wait believing  “it” won’t happen to you……
Only paid up members can be represented by Trained Union Reps.
The Union Movement is there to support YOU.
But you have to be a member.

We are growing and the reps are busy….. investigations, appeals, disciplinaries and PIP’s to name a few.

Sorry but if you are not in…. we can’t help.

Freephone 0800 731 7434 or e-mail joinunion@cwu.org for more information or to join now.

The Communication Workers Union is the biggest union for the communications industry in the UK with 207,500 members.

The BBC reported today;

“Carphone Warehouse is to close all of its 11 Best Buy stores across the UK, the company has announced.

The move puts 1,100 jobs at risk at the outlets, which sell electronic goods, but the firm said it hoped to find the “large majority” alternative work.

The 11 Best Buy stores are part of Best Buy Europe, a joint venture between US group Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse.

The first Best Buy store in the UK only opened in April of last year. The outlets have failed to make a profit.

‘Economic times’

Best Buy’s 11 UK outlets are in Liverpool, Derby, Bristol, Nottingham, Rotherham, Dudley, Thurrock, Southampton, and three places in London – Croydon, Hayes and Enfield.”

..as commented on this site over the past few months, the rolling closures and cut backs continue across both CPW and TTG. We can only hope this closure and reduction process will slow to a full stop soon.

CWU members, If you have been affected please contact your Branch for assistance.

The CWU main website has been improved for workers to access information about their company.

Please have a look at

http://www.cwu.org/talk-talk.html

Do you work for Carphone Warehouse, Best Buy or GeekSquad? Then CWU is the trade union for you! If you need support at work and don’t know where to turn for help then we’re here for you. We also offer exclusive benefits for members and you’ll be part of a growing family in the communications industry.

This link will allow you access to the specific information for your company.

PLEASE remember, carphone and TTG worker has been set up by employees of these two companies to help and assist.

Unity is strength. Support for all.

“I have worked in CPW for over 8 years as a sales consultant on/off full time and part time. My current position is full time senior sales and has been for 5 years.

As a sceptic of the recent pay changes FORCED upon me I have found the survey to be just another small cog in a big machine that by design is manipulative in CPW’s favour. I am very aware that coaching the answers still goes on in many stores,especially due to the current pay structure and many,many managers not achieving bonus. This practice along with many others has to stop. But then again, where does CPW end and Best Buy Europe begin?

Many grey areas have been born in recent times,except when it comes to culling unwanted staff. LOSS PREVENTION is a very serious ongoing threat to all staff members and the reasons for getting discipined are fast becoming more vague and more frequent as the rules of what we do change.

World class scores determining my bonus is a joke,I work hard and follow the rules. In 4 years my wages have decreased year in year out, although I now have to work harder(I agree the standard of service has been increased and our customers are better treated as a result of WALK OUT WORKING) but to have a customer have any input into how much I get paid? Very wrong.

CPW had many good ideals and ideas before it joined BBE. It was a company that had pride in how it treated its customers and staff. I fear the staff have been sacrificed to a certain extent and the people in charge have either never known about the 5 fundamental rules or not worked in CPW when we lived, breathed and abided by them.

The good times are gone, the staff aren’t as dedicated, the staff aren’t as loyal and most importantly the staff do not buy into the company brand, but perhaps this will change? If the economy allows, CPW staff can work in many other high street stores and have the same level of pay, the benefits will be they will have to work for companies such as Tesco,Next,etc and when they go to their new jobs they will have plenty of relief as they will not have all of the stress that CPW/BBE FORCE upon us.

Finally- I believe if we all have unity we can be a part of the change. For better or worse it’s up to us.”

There are alternative roles in the business but, reportedly, on reduced wages and with very different responsibilities. If you are offered such roles as alternative employment rather than redundancy remember that you should be given a 4 week trial period in the new job. If you don’t feel that the role is suitable after that period, and – crucially – if the company agrees, you should be able to leave the business with your redundancy package.

What constitutes “suitable alternative employment” can be a complicated issue and you might disagree with your employer as to what, or is not, a suitable offer. When considering whether a role is suitable factors that would be considered important are pay, hours, status and location. If in doubt seek advice from your CWU branch or contact us via this site.

Management Standards for work related stress

Under UK law, employers have a ‘duty of care’ to protect the health, safety and welfare of all employees while at work. They also have to assess the risks arising from hazards at work including work-related stress.

What are the Management Standards for work related stress?

The Management Standards define the characteristics, or culture, of an organisation where the risks from work related stress are being effectively managed and controlled.

The Management Standards cover six key areas of work design that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and well-being, lower productivity and increased sickness absence. In other words, the six Management Standards cover the primary sources of stress at work.

see http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/  for the six Management Standards

SEE ALSO ; http://www.employmentlawwatch.com/tags/dickins-v-o2/

Many part-time workers are often forced to work their short shift without a break. The regulations are clear that until six hours are worked there is no automatic right to a break.

Yet, this can be concidered unreasonable for all workers. In particular when working with a PC monitor and keyboard or in need of drinks and toilet breaks.

If you are a part timer and instructed by your manager that you are not entitled to a break then concider asking for small “comfort breaks” to allow time away from the your desk to stretch your legs and have a break from the PC.

The regulations may state one thing but your body and mind may tell you another and you need a break.  Afterall your full time colleagues have a break every two to three hours on average so why cant a part timer?

The regulations for PC oprators is covered by regulations on the link below.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf

Most jobs provide opportunities to take a break from the screen, eg to do filing
or photocopying. Make use of them. If there are no such natural breaks in your
job, your employer should plan for you to have rest breaks. Frequent short
breaks are better than fewer long ones.

other links of interest.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Flexibleworking/DG_173304

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1576

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/HealthAndSafetyAtWork/DG_4016686

Today’s announcement via global email from the TTG HR Director Nigel Sullivan marks the final notice of the Waterford site.

This website would like to take this opportunity to wish you all in Waterford the very best of luck for the future. You are known by all employees’ and customers alike, for your professionalism, dedication and huge experience you were always willing to share and all so very welcomed at a time when the rest of the group were sinking under the weight of The Great “Free Broadband” fiasco. The greatest tragedy is that the Board is unable to see the loss of this centre of excellence will have a resounding negative impact on the remaining employees and the customer’s experience. To lose a superb call centre of 575 dedicated employees is nothing short of unbelievable.

The original email, posted on the 7th August, announcing the Waterford closure stated,

“We announced in July that we are reducing the number of outsource partners we have, and as a result we are winding down our work in Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and Cape Town over the coming months.”

and

“The majority of work currently undertaken at Waterford would be transferred to Wipro, CCI and Transcom. This reflects the fact that the vast majority of our calls (around 80%) are already handled offshore.”

The question that needs to be asked is ;

If a site with such huge experience, dedication and excellence can be closed (in 30 days) and the “majority of work … be transferred to Wipro, CCI and Transcom.” because,  “…our calls (around 80%) are already handled offshore.”, what is the next part of the “28 Priorities“?

If we have a look at number 22 as the example relevant to Waterford ( and all the TTG sites)

Corporate Site strategy

Develop and start implementing plans to optimize the use of our property estate

There are serious questions that need to be answered, because as mentioned above Waterford -soon to be followed by Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and Cape Town are being wound down, presumably, like Waterford, to full closure.

There is an obvious contradiction here,

…. “we are reducing the number of outsource partners we have, and as a result we are winding down our work in Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and Cape Town” but then goes onto state, “..Waterford (work) would be transferred to Wipro, CCI and Transcom.”

Where is the logic? What is The Plan? Is this latest update just another tick on the list of whatever is the Corporate Site Strategy?

The main question for the remaining sites?

Who’s next and when?