OPENREACH LTD – Service Delivery Fibre To The Premises;
Attendance Preference Exercise, Roster Smoothing and
Saturday Working
Openreach Service Delivery, Fibre To The Premises (SD FTTP), have been in protracted discussions with
your CWU Openreach National Team (ORNT) with regards to the previous attendance preference exercise
which was carried out in April 2023 and resulted in the CWU submitting a Formal Registered
Disagreement to BT Group. During these discussions we have also been reviewing the issues Openreach
face with team member attendance patterns across FTTP.
Openreach have acknowledged that the previous preference exercise, which was rolled out to new
recruits and those in training across FTTP last year, did not meet the criteria as set out in our collective
agreement (SDT), which governs attendance in Openreach. We trust the proposal outlined below will
resolve the Formal Registered Disagreement on behalf of our members who were negatively impacted,
whilst also assisting Openreach confront a challenge they face with regards to team member attendance
and ensuring Openreach are set up for success to protect direct labour jobs.
Openreach Key Issues
Openreach SD FTTP have made it clear that they have concerns over the safety of engineers and
efficiency at the end of day during the winter period due to the type of work they carry out. Currently
the majority of jobs carried out by FTTP include an element of climbing poles or climbing ladders at the
customer end to erect fibre dropwires, etc. Due to the high volume of this type of work, the current
spread of attendance patterns means an increased level of furthered and incomplete work at the end of
day particularly in the winter months, during periods of reduced daylight.
Openreach have presented data to your ORNT which shows that certain attendance patterns are less
efficient for Openreach. The data shows a 5-day week is the most efficient pattern and a 4-day week all
year round is the least, while a 9-day fortnight appears to have less of an impact but not as efficient as
a 5-day week. The data also shows circa 30% of engineers across FTTP are on patterns which are
deemed to be less efficient.
As outlined above, your ORNT have been in discussions with Openreach and have been working on a
proposal with a view to finding a solution which resolves both our CWU Formal Registered Disagreement
and reduces the impact of being able to work safely and efficiently to complete work at End of Day during
the winter period. We have aimed to find a solution that works for the company to meet its minimum
service levels, customer demand but continues to offer flexibility for our members and follows our Service
Delivery Transformation Agreement (SDT).
Conference Motion 2024
Following Motion 57 being carried at this year’s Telecoms and Financial Services Industrial Conference,
the ORNT has also used this in discussions with Openreach with the objective of achieving its aims. The
ORNT has met regularly with our Regional Co-ordinators and received feedback with regard to the
approach being taken. The motion is reproduced below for ease of reference:-
‘This conference expresses concern over Openreach’s disregard for agreements, demonstrating
disrespect towards the union and its members. This disregard is especially evident in their handling of
changes to members’ attendance patterns, which should adhere to the clear guidelines outlined in the
SDT Agreement of 2010. However, senior managers are flouting these guidelines by imposing unagreed
attendance patterns that deviate from the SDT Agreement, including attempts to introduce seasonal
working patterns (winter working) through unauthorised means.
The TFSE is directed to engage with Openreach to ensure acknowledgment of the proper process. Once
this acknowledgment is secured, the documented correspondence should be shared with telecom
branches to support the enforcement of the terms outlined in the SDT Agreement.’
Next Steps
Openreach will now begin an attendance preference exercise on 15 July 2024 for 897 team members.
The 897 is made up of:
• Engineers currently on a non-seasonal pattern (862 engineers)
• Engineers from the last preference exercise who responded and were not given their first
preference and moved onto an attendance with a different number of days to what they
previously worked (35 engineers).
If, during the preference exercise, an individual has not received a preference and is out of scope but is
then identified as in scope, they will be given a preference exercise. This will be addressed via the
escalation process (attached in the powerpoint) and will enable a resolution to the CWU Formal
Registered Disagreement.
Engineers will be asked to select 3 attendance patterns which will be inclusive of attendance patterns
already in use across Openreach, including seasonal patterns. These will include:
• 5-day week
• 5-day week (summer lates, start between 8-10)
• 9-day fortnight seasonal
• 9-day fortnight
• 4-day week seasonal
• 4-day week.
Where an engineer wishes to remain on their current pattern, this can be indicated by selecting this as
their first preference. Any individual conversations between an engineer and a manager will be done in
a supportive and informative manner. Openreach strongly recommends that engineers choose a
seasonal pattern and your ORNT would ask engineers to also give this serious consideration. However,
if an engineer still wishes to remain on their current attendance pattern, then this will be honored. Any
exceptions to this will be dealt with by Openreach Regional Directors or above and the CWU National
Team.
As you can see from the attached letter, Openreach have stated that ‘If the preference exercise does not
produce the required business results (we are aware of the significant impact of the 4-day non-seasonal
pattern) then we would have no option but to enter formal negotiations with the CWU. I can assure you
that, any further discussions would only be focused on the pattern highlighted above.’
Personal and Domestics (P&Ds)
Your ORNT have emphasised the need to protect those individuals who have a current P&D. If a member
has a P&D in place, they will be asked to select a pattern now, which they will revert to once their P&D
arrangement concludes. The normal P&D review period still stands, and this preference exercise does
not change that process.
Seasonal Time Frame
For clarity, if an engineer selects a seasonal pattern on a 4-day week or a 9-day fortnight, this will mean
that for the winter period of Monday 4 November 2024 until Sunday 9 February 2025, they will move to
a 5-day week attendance pattern and revert to their original attendance after this period. This change
will be a permanent annual change in which the dates will be dictated by the first Monday in November
through to the second Sunday in February.
Also, if a seasonal pattern is selected, the engineer will have the option to revert to their new chosen
normal pattern for the festive period (2 weeks) in 2024/2025. This is between Sunday 22 December
2024 – Sunday 5 January 2025. As in previous years, for future festive periods there will be a discussion
with Openreach and the CWU.
Outcome of the Preference Exercise and Next Steps
Once the engineers have completed their preference exercise, Openreach lead SAMs along with CWU
Regional Co-ordinators and designated CWU branch officials will review the preference selections and
agree the outcomes. When this has been completed a roster smoothing exercise will be reviewed which
will also include addressing the number of Saturdays in which our members work. Also note; Annual
and Special Leave commitments will be honored during any roster smoothing changes.
Your ORNT had previously agreed a Saturday modeler in Service Delivery UK Operations, and we have
now agreed a similar modeler in SD FTTP, utilising the FTTP inputs, outputs and leavers. We expect this
modeler to be reviewed to verify the level of Saturdays.
Initial modeling indicates that there will be an overall reduction in the number of Saturdays our members
are required to work in SD FTTP. However, this will be determined using the accurate data based on the
preference exercise outcomes. Your ORNT has taken the CWU Openreach Regional Co-ordinators
through the detail which will be used to formulate the outcomes within the modeler, and they will discuss
this with lead SAM’s and your local branches. (The timescales for the exercise are outlined within the
powerpoint attached.)
The outcomes of the preference exercise, roster smoothing and Saturday attendance will all be agreed
before communication to our members. If, during any stage of this review, you cannot reach agreement
between the CWU and lead SAMs, this needs to be flagged directly to me as soon as this occurs.
Attached is a copy of the FTTP Slide Deck, Openreach comms and the Letter of Agreement. The
powerpoint is shared in confidence.
We will also be sending a communication to this group of members, which we will share.
Your ORNT believes that this overall approach resets the discussions on attendances and the use of the
SDT Agreement across SD FTTP.
Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be sent directly to me in the first instance.
Yours sincerely,
Fiona Curtis
Acting Assistant Secretary
Encs.
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 
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