By D. Fitzpatrick THE DEPARTMENT of Industry has told British Telecoms that it must shed 45,000 jobs by 1985. And there is little doubt that women telecom the industry.
Out of a total labour force of around 243,000, employs 176,093 wonel. working as telephonists, in traffic. clerical workers, and in catering and cleaning. These al c the so-called non-essential al cas. which means they do not make a profit, so they are top of the agenda for cuts.
In 1971, 81 per cent of the operators were women and this the section which ever since STD was introduced in 1958 has the biggest decline in staff levels. In a tive period trom 1973-78 alone the employment of operators fell by 32 per cent.
The Brooke Report produced for BT on the future of operator services which now employs 29,000 people, predicts 'a steady decline in requirements over the next decade and a and expects quirements to stabilise at about 4.00 some time around 2005-6'.
BAD TASTE I heard son about population figures Chovant workers will be the ones who suffer the most if this is done as privatisation sweeps through In the BT owned facwork involves repairs of Now the ending of BT's monopoly spells job loss there, private firms undercut their prices. As the shift takes place Io electronic exchanges the new technology which can do things like test faults by computer will eliminate jobs.
The introduction of the disposable telephone Cole. amos certainly will mean the loss of 800° workers' jobs at the Cwncarn facNearly all the work there is the servicing and repair of electromechanical telephones.
the digital phones costing as little as £8, it will be cheaper to throw them away and buy a new one rather than have it repaired, so down ine drain go the workers' Jobs!
Sir George Jefferson has already told the BT employees that Dss woula b offices are overstaffed. The message here is clear. This is another area where jobs have to go, and in the secretarial grade whose staff is 99 per cent women, you don't get a prize guessing will suffer but halway through the conscious had the most.
New technology, when it is geared to profit making, is used for one purpose only, and lal Is to get moe work done at less COSL which people's jobs have to be wiped out.
Nor does this technology benefit the consumer. Costs will climb and the service will get WOrse Brooke proposals is to COSC «down all • SEVICE from 6pm to 8pm to slash costs by 37 per cent. They won't do this of course until the private business sec tor is equipped with data Dalks Shut down won't affect them. As far as tne rest or vou go. voul convenience comes a lousy second to the god of profit.
Faced with such big job losses and seeing how privatisation will cause a prices to rise Women in Telecoms which is a group of women militants in the industry have produced a leaflet explaining what happening in BT.
Quite correctly they call for a loint campaign of all the unions involved. and are urging both men and women to be active and united in the fight to I FORGOT THE TOKEN WOMEN!
Socialist Challenge