In House Techs to TUPE in Sept?

[Mr Angry]

I wouldn't assume that TUPE is inevitable. Certainly, yes, it is being considered but you have to weigh the "offsets" as far as NTL are concerned.

They are faced with two choices. Retain the existing staff under current contracts and offer redundancies to a number of those in order to streamline or outsource to a third party under TUPE and, subsequently, avoid the additional financial burden of redundancy payments.

Outsourcing to a third party under TUPE, whilst appearing to be a sound financial move initially, represents a potential nett financial loss to NTL which I don't think they can afford to absorb - or offset.

Put simply, existing customers are "contracted" to pay certain fees for certain tech / install services. Any transfer of undertakings to a third party in respect of tech / install services is outside the remit / terms of the existing consumer contract ie. NTL loses the money for service maintenance tech / install services on the part of existing customers.

The bean counters are, most likely, having a bit of a headscratch on the "workaround".

[pol747]

either way you look at it come 1st september we could all be worse off

[joehill]

TUPE is a a legal minefield and only partially protects workers. And yes it protects existing terms and conditions from day one.

Employers can then and most certainly will try and change them at some time in the future.

The only way to protect yoursleves is to
a) join the union (CWU) www.cwu.org
b) Get someone to act as a rep
c) Start recruiting the contract staff who are often poorly treated
d) Get the union to offer moral and financial support for an Organsing campaign
e) Organise the campaign yourselves
f) If you get over 70% workforce to join the union can go for automatic recognition. If the CWU gets through the hurdles the employer has to recognise the union
g) Its illegal to prevent someone joining a union and you don't have to tell your employer
h) Unions have automatic representation rights in disciplines and grievances even where its not recognised

Fact: union workplaces pay better wages.
Go on - Get organised!
Any questions ? ask me

[860]

Thats all well and good my friend, but by the looks of things the union isn't exactly jumping up and down about any of this...............or have I missed something?

[sollp]

In house installation in NTL have disapeared years ago in NTL, there has only been a few left over the past couple of years, i'm assuming that there is still in house installations within ex Telewast? By the sounds of it there is, well unfortunately this is one area that will definately go, as for Service Tech's and Network Tech's there has always been rumours for years that this will also happen, maybe it will or won't.

Unfortunately for Ex-Telewest people, if you had a happy work place when working for Telewest, be prepared for a shock as the fun has stopped now. For the next 5 years or so you will be slowly broken down, every aspect of what is spent from overtime to a set of new batteries will be scrutinized. Since NTL became NTL in in 1999 ish this has been happening. Constant reorganization and cut backs ect. So as is said on the advert "Buckle up people your in for a bumpy ride".

[hairy_mick]

on reflection i think NTL are lacking in certain aspects of the buissieness lets look down the line for amoment its still treating its customers badly those that have had a bad experiance certainly those that suffer a poor (install ,housemove) which effects the services they have, dont NTL relise the knock on effect of this thats why they are in the state they are in now its gone too far to bring it back they do not have the balls to sort it out they have just given in to the bean counters. A few weeks ago i was at a road show and one of the presenters asked we need to know why 40% of new customers dissconect after or before the 12 months contract ends i wonder why.

[pooky]

at the moment the union are in discussions with ntl/telewest as to how long they will honour our contracts after the tupe, ive heard that 3 months is the minimum but im not sure if thats true as ive also heard that it is only upto the point of transfer, can anbody tell me otherwise, thanks

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by sollp

In house installation in NTL have disapeared years ago in NTL, there has only been a few left over the past couple of years, i'm assuming that there is still in house installations within ex Telewast? By the sounds of it there is, well unfortunately this is one area that will definately go, as for Service Tech's and Network Tech's there has always been rumours for years that this will also happen, maybe it will or won't.

Unfortunately for Ex-Telewest people, if you had a happy work place when working for Telewest, be prepared for a shock as the fun has stopped now. For the next 5 years or so you will be slowly broken down, every aspect of what is spent from overtime to a set of new batteries will be scrutinized. Since NTL became NTL in in 1999 ish this has been happening. Constant reorganization and cut backs ect. So as is said on the advert "Buckle up people your in for a bumpy ride".

Very true, they did systematically break the workforce but before they were ntl. I think it was 1996 when they took over the cable company I worked for, the first thing they did was try to force employees to accept the CableTel bonus scheme. We worked for a poor pay and they wanted to hold back around 10% of our salary for a quarterly bonus. They gave up on that idea but instead tackled people individually with bully tactics, the HR department was more like the Gestapo. They looked at my position and because I was in a senior engineering position earning the same as a CableTel network technician, they changed my job title instead of increasing my wages. They of course expected me to carry on doing the same tasks as before, they also tried to get me to sign a new contract taking away the enhanced redundancy entitled I had achieved due to my staff status, and tried to make me work 40 instead of 37.5 hours without compensation. I said "No" and they said "Fine, we will sack you" I said "You do whatever you feel is right" They ammended my contract and actually increased it by £1000.

There have been so many horror stories like this, and so many people just getting up and walking out. There have been countless examples of people applying for jobs internally, offered the position at X amount and then being told they can only have X amount rise and not what they were promised.

They stepped up their activities by trying to take benefits away from the orig ntl broadcast people, they were strong and retained their benefits. They introduced new T&C's for new starters and that caused big problems due to the huge gap in T&C's amongst employees. I noticed when I left in 2001 that they were starting to increase pressure and take away benefits without compensation, and through all this they liked to refer to employees as associates, it was just a polite way of saying you were like something stuck to the bottom of the companies shoes.

Theres no point in talking about unions, I joined a union just before cableTel took us over in 1996. When ntl they took over CWC, the CWU were touting for members, ntl management had always said they had no room for unions, so they played their ace card by doing a deal with a tame union.

That deal with the tame union finally put the nail in the coffin for fair treatment of staff.

Got a mail from BECTU to which stated that "There is no time limit after which TUPE protection no longer applies (many people think it only lasts for a year)"

ntl managers made sure they where not under TUPE as they know the conditions the contractors work under, it seems in the past when ntl have made the bottom end of the ladder redundant they have made sure they only make 100 or less so as to make it 30 days notice but when there are management for the chop its always more than 100 so they get the 90 days norm. Its getting really bad working for ntl as they seem to be taking there time letting us know where the 6000 jobs are coming from, its getting a lot harder getting up in the mornings with the thought redundancy looming.

COME ON NTL ITS NOT HARD YOU KNOW THERE ARE 6000 GOING JUST TELL US AND PUT US OUT OF ARE MISSERAY.

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by only me

Got a mail from BECTU to which stated that "There is no time limit after which TUPE protection no longer applies (many people think it only lasts for a year)"

ntl managers made sure they where not under TUPE as they know the conditions the contractors work under, it seems in the past when ntl have made the bottom end of the ladder redundant they have made sure they only make 100 or less so as to make it 30 days notice but when there are management for the chop its always more than 100 so they get the 90 days norm. Its getting really bad working for ntl as they seem to be taking there time letting us know where the 6000 jobs are coming from, its getting a lot harder getting up in the mornings with the thought redundancy looming.

COME ON NTL ITS NOT HARD YOU KNOW THERE ARE 6000 GOING JUST TELL US AND PUT US OUT OF ARE MISSERAY.

I think they have been doing the less than 100 trick for a time, I seem to remember they made 97 or 98? redundant in one region to keep under the magic figure.

I think they made a further number redundant after the dust had settled from that one in the same region. There is one manager in that region who seemed to take great pride in making people redundant, and was very much matter of fact about not caring when the managers under him had to re-apply.

There are quite a few rotten apples in the ntl barrel, and they always seem to survive.

[Ricky B]

Sad news, trade union backing is required here. contact AMICUS the U.Ks largest private sector union at www.amicustheunion.org Best wishes to all staff involved.

[gimpymoo]

Which company is managing the call centres?

[kibblerok]

Originally Posted by Escapee

There are quite a few rotten apples in the ntl barrel, and they always seem to survive.

Lets hope their time has come... Im getting fed up of being told telewest do such and such better or telewest do this and ntl dont.

Its true they do, but its only the way of working or things staff at ntl have wanted for years. The things that get put on the back burner when the next bi-monthly re-org comes along as the management are too busy building their empires or covering their asses.

Originally Posted by gimpymoo

Which company is managing the call centres?

IBM i think.

People in ntl need to join BECTU so we have a voice it seems ntl are just walking over us at the moment, fair enough if they have to make cuts but please be fair at least offer redundancy, I would rather live under the arches than work for the contractors around here.

Ntl have gotten bored with ripping off there customers, so now they have turned there attention to there staff.

What NTL don't understand is if they lose long term members of staff in this underhand way. There is no way in hell they will ever get them back on there side.

When the problems start because all the talent has left you will see churn go through the roof. I for one have no time for Senior mismanagement at NTL , And i realy do feel for those that are now being crapped on from the board room of NTL.