BT Group Makes Improved 2-Year Pay Offer In Bid To Avert Strike

8th Jun 2010 08:49

LONDON (Dow Jones)--U.K. telecommunications giant BT Group (BT) said Tuesday it has made an improved pay offer to its staff as it seeks to avert the first strike by its employees for 23 years. "A two-year offer has been made but I cannot confirm the details," a spokesman for the company said. "Industrial action is in no-one's interest," he added, "so we hope the new offer will receive a positive response." The Press Association said the offer was worth 2% this year and 3% the following year, with bonuses of GBP250. BT has also pledged not to make any compulsory redundancies between now and the end of 2011, the report said. The BT spokesman would neither confirm nor deny these details. The Communication Workers Union threatened Friday to ballot for strike action after BT allowed a deadline to pass without improving its one-year 2% pay offer. The PA report added that BT has pledged to bring call center and back office jobs back from India. -By Michael Carolan, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-20-7842-9278; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 08, 2010 03:49 ET (07:49 GMT)