BT gives staff pay rise as chief executive donates salary
BT has handed out a share bonus to all staff and pledged not to cut jobs during the coronavirus crisis as the telecoms giant faces a surge in demand for its services.
Each of BT’s 100,000 employees will be awarded £500 in shares in June, while thousands of non-managerial staff will be given a 1.5 per cent pay increase.
In addition, chief executive Philip Jansen — who tested positive for coronavirus last month — will donate his £1.2m salary to NHS charities for at least the next six months.
The move comes as BT contends with a surge in demand for its full-fibre broadband services and its mobile network EE as millions of Brits work from home.
The company said it is prioritising support for critical services such as the NHS, including connecting the new Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre in east London.
BT has kicked off a radical restructuring process in a bid to turn around its fortunes, cutting 13,000 jobs and closing 90 per cent of its offices in the UK.
The FTSE 100 giant said that while this process will continue, no employees will lose their jobs in the next three months, nor will any be furloughed.
BT said it was supporting thousands of staff members who were unable to work and 400 new engineers who could not be trained. The firm said it was retraining and redeploying many of its 4,200 retail staff who were unable to work.
“BT is stepping up, standing by the country in this time of need and standing by our people who are working tirelessly to keep everyone connected, safe and working,” said boss Jansen.
“I have been extremely proud of the commitment shown by BT colleagues to support our customers in the last few weeks and want to recognise that. This is an unprecedented situation and I want to give our people some certainty about the months ahead. This period requires sacrifices from us all, and I want our people to know we are all in this together.”