Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

Starting salary, and that's for the National Ops teams. Who mainly do installs and very basic repairs. That new National Ops pay grade was brought in so that OR could reduce its reliance on contractors for installs, which it has done.

Most Openreach engineers tha you see are on the BT B2 grade which starts at about £24k and maxes out at roughly £29k after 5 years. There's no bonuses or anything like that. Of course you then get overtime on top of that so most OR engineers will be on a good bit more than £30k as end of day overtime is unavoidable and some choose to work Sundays. Or occasionally are forced to work Sundays due to workload, but at least it is paid a lot a good rate.

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

I wonder if BT pay their engineers more because their work is more dangerous ie working up telegraph poles as opposed to working at ground level??

Are all BT engineers expected to go up a pole when this is required, or only certain trained personnel?

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

From what l have heard, and been told by outside contractors of VM. VM is a terrible company to work for.

I was told by contractors in Ealing where l work, that contractors are being down from the North to rectify work that is being done by contractors in the London area.

I think that BT/Sky/VM just want the work done so they can get the custom. So therefore management ouch out the work. And if they cannot get the staff to do it, get someone else

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

Vm is NOT a bad company to work for i have worked for 20 yrs in cable and if it was bad do you honestly think i would be working there. Get your facts right Arthur before you post your rant as it is making you look like an idiot as usual. :mad:

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

Everyone has to go up the poles.

I think the wages are higher because the twisted pair network has more weak points and is harder to repair. Honestly it can be an absolute frustrating struggle working on a 70 year old twisted pair copper and often aluminium network. Some of it isn't ducted and with the cables being 50-300 pairs you've got to be able to take measurements to fault find, and intervene in the correct jointbox.

I could be wrong but I imagine a lot of the time on faults with Virgin Media it should be possible to do a repull. With BT's network the equivalent of a repull just isn't possible.

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

I suspect it's more to do with union influence at BT that accounts for the wage differential. Although I've noticed that both companies alsouse outsourced companies for installs (not exclusively) and that can lead to reduced wages which dusplace into profits.

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

OTE for VM techs is 28K, however there is always overtime available as well according to my mate in Nottingham. They also get additional payments for great Customer Service which is measured via direct feedback from customers when they fill in a survey.

https://careers.virginmedia.com/job-...s?id=IRC255689

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

What does OTE mean? Why is your figure different to the other poster?

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

Yet I worked for them and thought they were a terrible company to work for. I think, like most companies, there are good and bad positions within it. Depending on which department you work in and which managers, etc. you have, your experience can vary greatly.

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

On target earnings I think, my figure is from VM's job site, the link takes you to it

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

I followed the link and guessed myself that it meant on target earnings. But I'm still not really sure what it means! Is that what you would earn or not? BT just have a pay scale, with a bottom and top figure. You get a pay rise every year until you reach the top of the pay scale. Then you just get any union agreed cost of living pay rise going forward.

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

You would get the OTE figure if you performed well enough according to targets set.

BT is beginning to have problems. Engineers/techs who have been there for 15 years are on Final Salary Pension scheme and won't be leaving in a hurry. Newer engineers would be looking around to see who will pay them more - though nobody wants to pay them more because of the broadband pricing race.

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

I've worked for VM for 21 years, and they are not ( from my experience) a terrrble company, far from it.

And your point is?

Don't comment on things you quite obviously have no knowledge of, or experience of, it may make you look stupid!

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

What makes you think newer engineers would be looking around to see who would pay them more?

I've never heard that said to be honest, most seem very happy and the few people that have left over the last few years have been sacked! No one would pay more anyway, for their skill set. Along with KC in Hull the network is unique, so where do you think they'd go?

Re: Virgin Media could make 900 redundancies
 

They could start with the mobile technical support team, that would also improve the service!