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Fury at Openreach's flat refusal to accept long-standing CWU demands for the regrading of multi-skilled engineers boiled over at CWU Telecoms and Financial Services Conference in Liverpool. Delegates voted unanimously for industrial action to be given serious consideration if the company continues to refuses to reconsider the decisive 'no' it finally delivered to CWU negotiations who have been pressurising bosses to come clean on their intentions for years.



The magnitude of the gulf between Openreach and the CWU on the issue became clear just before conference when - far from conceding there was a case for upward regrading - the company dropped the bombshell that it believes "a significant number of roles should be at a lower grade than is currently the case".



Commenting in the last issue of Voice, assistant secretary Ian Cuthbert told of "bitter disappointment and widespread incredulity amongst members," stressing that while the union has always taken a responsible attitude towards industrial relation, management should be aware "we can be pushed too far. On attendance patterns, on grading and on disciplines for minor quality failures, management's actions are stoking a fire that may engulf them," he warned. "Members are saying in ever-more strident tones that enough is enough. Frankly it would be hard to disagree with them."



That assessment was dramatically borne out by the mood at the CWU's telecoms industry conference in Liverpool in June where delegates overwhelmingly rejected a motion censuring the national negotiating team for failing to make progress on the issue, agreeing instead to direct their anger to where the real blame lay.



"Our members' patience has long since been exhausted and it is time for us to take this to the next level," argued John Donnelly of Glasgow and Motherwell branch. Delegates unanimously agreed, committing the executive a special branch forum by the end of October if a final attempt to engage the company in meaningful negotiations is rebuffed. That forum will include a discussion on the use of industrial action as a means to force the company to take the CWU's demands seriously.



Supporting the motion on behalf of the Executive, Simon Trim referred to a "tortuous route" already travelled by the union and "excuse after excuse" from the employer. This gives us a clear instruction on the next steps to be taken to sort out this long drawn-out debacle," he concluded. "If this is not sorted out by October branches need to be ready to lead their members into some form of industrial action."