GSE 04-22 Meeting with CEO and update on Apprentice intake
22/April/2022
Description
Following the positive interaction at the AGMs and subsequent general review by the Branch Secretaries and eir NEC members, the Union met with the new CEO, Oliver Loomes and his senior management team. Along with the other telecoms officers, I set out the high-level key challenges facing our members, while impressing the company’s requirement to positively address these, from a CWU perspective.
We had a good discussion on a number of issues including the difficulty of attracting and retaining staff in the customer support centres and the impact this has had on the eir brand in the past. In addition, we discussed the potential impact of the transition from copper to fibre that will take place over the coming years, and which will significantly impact the telecoms industry.
We also highlighted the fact that the CWU is a long-term stakeholder in the success of eir. Over the years, we have worked with various management teams and owners and throughout these changes the CWU has been the one constant presence. We understand the business and the challenges it faces.
One of the key problems we will face over the coming years is the unique challenge of retirements as many graded staff will reach their retirement age in the coming years. We made the point to the new CEO that, if there is not some level of staff replacement it will place a significant potential burden on the remaining staff, particularly those in Fixed Access Service Teams (FAST).
I raised this as a matter of urgent concern for the CWU and made the case that, in tandem with the current Trainee Tech intake of new recruits for Core, consideration must be given to an intake of new apprentices for the Access part of the business.
Following this meeting, the company has since reverted and committed to securing budget approval for a new intake of apprentices for the first quarter of 2023. While final approval is required, the CWU has strongly advocated for additional apprentices to be taken on.
In addition to this, the improvements in pay and bonuses for staff in the customer support centres that we communicated recently is welcomed.
These are important and positive developments for the Union and the company, and are welcome initial outcomes from our first meeting with the new CEO. It is my intention to keep up the engagement at this level, as I am sure there will be other issues and challenges arising from our conference.