ENGINEERS with BT's subsidiary Openreach have been on strike in Newport over potential changes to their employment terms and conditions.

Repayment Project Engineers (RPEs) with Openreach - of which there are 170 in the UK - have been on strike after the company announced plans to replace new employees coming into the job with a managerial role.

Some have warned this will lead to "cost-cutting" and "revenue-generating", and have staged a series of strikes last month, with more planned later in March. Along with action being taken outside Newport’s telephone exchange it has taken place in Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff, plus parts of England.

A member of the picket line in Newport said: “We are here to protect the role for future engineers and ensure others will be safe and secure in the role."

Another striker added: “We want to protect the work we do, which is essentially funded by the public purse – the tax payers.

“The managerial role is bonus-based which could encourage bad practice or behaviour to maximise ‘income’.

"The bonus is a glass carrot - this decision is about cost-cutting and revenue-generating.

"There should not be incentives or bonus-related payments when using public sector funds."

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) confirmed that 90 per cent of a 92 per cent turnout of RPEs voting in favour of industrial action to defend the terms and conditions of their jobs.

CWU vice-chairman and Openreach regional co-ordinator, Graham Colks, said: “It’s complex work and requires engineering skills. RPEs often solve complex issues quickly and at a fair price, trying to minimise disruption and cost.

“Bonus-related targets mean there’s a danger of bad practices – it could result in overcharging and unnecessary costs.”

President of CWU, Karen Rose, added: “The engineering skill isn’t needed to be a manager but it’s essential in the current role.

“From a trade union perspective this has been driven by members – it’s not based on self-interest but on principles.

“As a trade union we couldn’t be prouder as this is about the greater good – they’re standing against profit greed of corporations.

“Changing the job role is not in the best interest of the customer.”

An Openreach spokesperson said: “We’ve worked closely with the union for more than a year-and-a-half to try and resolve this specific issue.

“None of the 170 repayments project engineers in question is at risk of losing their job or seeing any deterioration in their pay, terms and conditions.

“In fact we’ve offered them the option to upgrade to the better-paid, higher technical professional grade, but we’ve also given a cast-iron guarantee that they can choose to stay on their existing terms and conditions – which includes an extremely competitive salary of around £45,000 a year.

“We want to reassure customers that this action won’t impact the quality of the services we provide, or affect our large ongoing investments in recruitment, training and a new full fibre broadband network for the UK.”

“Of the 35,000 UK-wide Openreach workforce across the UK we’ve see 118 people take part in the first day of action, 108 in the second and 97 people in the third.”

The industrial action has had the support of Newport West MP Ruth Jones, and her Senedd counterpart Jayne Bryant.

Ms Jones said: “It was good to be able to join the picket line yesterday and hear first-hand from the engineers who are in dispute about the situation.

“This is a valid dispute and the Openreach employees are fighting to protect taxpayer’s money as well as their own technical grades and terms and conditions.

“Openreach should at the very least return to the negotiating table to resume discussions. There can be no resolution until this happens.”

Ms Bryant added: “There is no explanation of how the proposed changing of the grades will enhance the service to the public and the customer.

“The worry is that instead of identifying the best engineering solution it will be about generating the most revenue. The industrial action is about defending the terms and conditions for future engineers.

“I urge Openreach to listen to their workforce and come to a speedy resolution.”