Comprehensive protections secured for 700-plus in EE to BT TUPE

Telecoms & Financial Services, BT, EE April 11 2023

 

Detailed negotiations on behalf of 735 team member employees in EE Enterprise who are in the process of transferring to BT Enterprise have delivered firm assurances that any EE terms and conditions that are better than BT’s are protected.

While many stand to benefit from alignment BT WF2020 Ts&Cs, in several areas – notably including long service awards but also extending to the legacy sick pay entitlements enjoyed by some long-serving employees – some transferring individuals’ EE terms are superior to those that are standard in BT.

In those situations, transferees will continue to benefit from their existing entitlements, and in the case of sick pay, those with a 26 or 50 week entitlement will continue with that entitlement for tenure of their employment.

The majority of transferring EE Enterprise employees, however, are on EE sickness terms that offer eight weeks or less sick pay – and they will significantly benefit from alignment to BT’s terms on transfer.

Where employees have a contractual entitlement to private medical cover, that will be retained on transfer, with a stepped transfer to the standard BT excess rate (which is slightly higher) over three years.

Meanwhile all employees will be offered membership of the BT Retirement Savings Scheme (BTRSS) with the protection of EE contribution rates. Further talks will be taking place post-TUPE in response to the union’s request that consideration be given to allowing individuals to voluntarily switch to BT contribution rates – which are slightly higher for the employee but trigger higher employer contributions

CWU national officer Stephen Albon explains: “Although BT has not agreed to offer this as part of the TUPE, the union will be pursuing the issue post-TUPE with the BT pensions team.

“It seems logical to the CWU that anyone contributing to the BTRSS should be able to make the 5% of salary pension contribution that elicits a 10% contribution the company that is the standard across BT Group – and we feel this should extend to transferring EE Enterprise members, who currently pay 4% and receive a 6% company contribution.

“At the same time, however, it was important that the option to remain at existing contribution levels was maintained within the TUPE arrangements – especially in the light of the current cost of living crisis.

“All told, the outcome of these TUPE talks is good news for everyone who is in the process of transferring from EE Enterprise into BT Enterprise – because most will benefit by default, and the few areas in which legacy EE terms and conditions are better than BT’s have been ring-fenced.”