Thousands of workers at telecoms giant BT will quit over pay on Friday in the first of two straight strikes.
Engineers and call center workers voted to take industrial action after BT offered a £1,500 a year pay rise.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the action was the first nationwide telecoms strike since 1987.
It has warned the strikes are likely to affect the rollout of ultra-fast broadband and could cause problems for people working from home.
But BT has said it has “tried and tested processes for large-scale absences from colleagues” to minimize disruption.
More than 40,000 workers are expected to picket across the country on Friday, with a second strike planned for Monday.
BT has repeatedly said it has made its best salary offer and would not reopen salary review in 2022.
The CWU has previously criticized the deal, saying company bosses “held two fingers up” at workers.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said “hundreds of pickets” would be ordered across the UK ahead of the strikes on Friday.
“Our members have kept the country connected during the pandemic. They deserve a decent raise and they will get it,” he said.
“Workers at BT Group will never accept their bosses using Swiss banks while they use food banks.”
Prices in the UK are rising at their fastest pace in 40 years, prompting workers and unions to demand wage increases to keep up with the cost of living.
Several industries, such as rail, have already seen strikes this summer, and more are planned.
- Why are prices rising so fast?
- Wages are falling at an unprecedented rate while prices are rising
On Thursday, BT announced its first revenue growth in five years as the telecoms company benefited from price increases for customers earlier this year.
The group said it was also boosted by more people signing up for fiber broadband and strong trade in its Openreach network business.
The company said revenue rose 1% to £5.1 billion in the three months to June 30.
BT said it had “extensive discussions” with the union before finally deciding on a £1,500 payment, which it said was the “highest wage premium in more than 20 years” for workers.
“We have confirmed to the CWU that we will not be reopening the 2022 salary review, having already received the best possible award,” it said in a statement.
“While we respect the decision of our colleagues who are CWU members to strike, we will work to minimize disruption and keep our customers and the country connected.”
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