BT reported that its fixed broadband network – the UK’s communications backbone, and EE – its number one mobile network, are both performing strongly.
- BT announced a raft of measures in response to the COVID-19 emergency. These include:
- Prioritising support for critical services, specifically the NHS, from connecting the new Nightingale Hospitals, to innovating to allow isolated patients to speak with their loved ones.
- A commitment that, whilst ongoing transformation programmes will continue, no employee will lose their job in the foreseeable future – at least the next three months – as a direct result of changing trading conditions brought about by coronavirus.
- Throughout the same period, BT will continue to pay all employees’ salaries in full and – in line with its commitment to maximise support to the UK’s national effort – will not put any staff on publicly-funded ‘furlough’.
- BT will offer an annual pay increase of 1.5% effective from 1 July 2020 to its team members (non-managerial staff) in the UK.
- BT has decided not to make an annual pay increase to its managers in 2020/21.
- BT also reconfirms its previous commitment to make an award of £500 worth of BT of shares to all employees in June. The ‘yourshare’ scheme amounts to around a £50m investment this year in making all BT Group colleagues shareholders in the company.
- BT Chief Executive Philip Jansen has decided that, for at least the next six months, whilst the business works through the crisis, he will donate his salary to the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 appeal and to affected small businesses in his local community.
Philip Jansen said: “BT is stepping up, standing by the country in this time of need and standing by our people who are working tirelessly to keep everyone connected, safe and working. I have been extremely proud of the commitment shown by BT colleagues to support our customers in the last few weeks and want to recognise that. This is an unprecedented situation and I want to give our people some certainty about the months ahead. This period requires sacrifices from us all, and I want our people to know we are all in this together.”
https://newsroom.bt.com/bt—standing-by-the-country-standing-by-our-people/