BT Group PLC (LON:BT.) plans to pay a £1,500 special bonus to frontline colleagues and key workers for their efforts during the Coronavirus pandemic, the telecoms giant said, adding that the payment is not expected to affect the group’s full-year financial outlook.
The bonus, which will see key staff get £1,000 immediately in cash and £500 in shares after three year, is equivalent to about 5% of the average salary.
The payment is being made despite BT freezing pay across the company and ongoing, unresolved talks with its largest union over the group’s transformation and modernisation plans.
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“BT has delivered for our customers through the dedication of all our people, but inevitably the pandemic hit our financial performance, like that of most companies,” said chief executive Philip Jansen.
“In this context, we have to prioritise and I am determined that we will do everything in our power to reward our frontline colleagues.”
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said it believed workers deserved the bonus for their hard work over the past year but pointed out the payment was not a resolution to the 2021 pay negotiations, as Jansen had acknowledged.
“The unconsolidated payment is yet another example of the short term approach the company has adopted in its race to the bottom tactics on terms and conditions,” a CWU spokesperson said.
They added: “We know our members will not be bought off and unlike BT, we will not put a price on their job.
“They are trying to divide the workforce and ignoring the voice of members, so that they can plough on with their job cuts and race to the bottom on pay, terms and conditions. We will not allow this to happen.”