Project Blueprint in Openreach

Prospect has today exchanged correspondence with Openreach to attempt to establish long term solutions to a number of issues facing First Line Managers.

Whilst we have engaged with Openreach on Project Blueprint (mem 012/10) your Industrial Relations Committee (IRC) has been frustrated about the time it is taking to move issues forward.

Prospect has written to Openreach (see link on right) highlighting our concerns about the scope of the Project. We also expressed our concern that the review may not deal with a number of serious issues facing our manager members, including:

• Working hours
• Overtime
• Differentials
• Attendance patterns
• Transformation

We expressed the view that much of the continued operation of Openreach is based on an unreasonable expectation of what FLMs should be doing, and that Openreach should not be operated on the basis of the goodwill of managers.

In order to resolve these issues Prospect sought a meeting with Openreach. We have now received a response (see link on right)which is positive in content and we hope will form the basis for developing some long term solutions to some of these problems.

We have agreed to begin this process by holding a joint workshop between Openreach and your IRC. We will be seeking to organise this meeting as soon as possible.

Your IRC welcomes this commitment by Openreach to established processes and we fully intend to constructively participate in future discussions with the company on developing long term solutions to these issues.

Steps to take now
If you are regularly working hours beyond your contractual hours speak to your line manager to try to find areas of work that can be stopped or postponed. If your colleagues are also in the same situation use your team meetings to try to find a collective resolution.

If it is clear that the work you are undertaking has to be done and extends beyond your 36 hours speak to your manager about applying the Time Off In Lieu agreement. It is vital that you should seek to keep a work-life balance, and both BT and Prospect recognise this through items such as the TOIL agreement.

If you believe that your workload is beginning to make you feel unwell you must speak to your line manager immediately. You should also fill out a STREAM assessment – this tool is not just for Team Members. If following these steps you believe things are not improving then contact the Prospect Helpdesk.

The new attendance patterns for Team Members do not apply to managers. There should be no rotas or rosters for managers. Also there is no obligation on managers to work at weekends. If you have been requested to work weekends and you don’t want to, speak to your line manager in the first instance. If this does not resolve the issue contact the Prospect Helpdesk.

We will continue to speak to Openreach about manager accreditation. If you are currently undergoing accreditation and you have failed to achieve standard directly because you have not been able to call team meetings, get access to Coaches or hold 121s please contact Prospect.

Consultation
Your views are going to be vital in this process. Your IRC will be establishing a programme of consultation with members before this workshop to enable us to express the concerns and aspirations of members clearly and accurately to Openreach. When dates have been agreed will we issue them to members.

If you have any comments you want to make about these or other items you feel would be appropriate for these discussions please contact us at [email protected].