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Originally Posted by iSteve
CWU is the most appropriate union for the communications industry and also by no means a 'tame' beast - when threatened they bite back.
BECTU is only brought up because they had recogntion within NTL Broadcast. This in itself was simply a carry-over from the fact National Transcommunications Ltd, an old broadcasting company (what we knew as NTL Broadcast) was acquired by CableTel (what we think of as NTL now), at and AT THAT TIME this acquired company already HAD union recognition with BECTU. When CableTel renamed the whole shebang as 'NTL' this didn't mean BECTU had recognition spread across the company. And now, NTL Broadcast has now been sold off again, and no longer part of NTL.
Therefore BECTU for all intents and purposes are irrelevant to NTL again, except for where they have made already have built up members. However BECTU is a very SMALL union and does not have the strength to make a big difference in a company like NTL.
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Your points are most valid, ntl however seemed to strike a cosy deal and recognise BECTU very quickly after some CWU reps (who already had ex-CWC members who transferred to ntl in the merger) started appearing at ntl sites to sign the workers up.
CableTel had owned NTL Broadcast for a few years when this happened, and CableTel had always mouthed their distaste for unions through management and HR. To suddenly find a communication from CableTel management by then calling themselves "ntl" claiming to recognise a union was a bit of a shock. It all became clear however that they had done a deal with a tame union like BECTU, because they probably feared the CWU getting a foothold.
I joined a union (not BECTU or CWC) before my company was taken over by ntl, after being warned about CableTel's practices. That was back in 1996 and I'm still a member to this day, I am not generally a union follower and they are not much use in the communications industry, but I keep paying as there is always the representation if I ever need it.