{"id":180206,"date":"2023-09-24T00:23:33","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T00:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/?p=180206"},"modified":"2023-09-24T00:23:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T00:23:33","slug":"anger-as-bt-top-executive-declares-plans-to-cut-more-than-1000-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/world-news\/anger-as-bt-top-executive-declares-plans-to-cut-more-than-1000-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"Anger as BT top executive declares plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Anger at BT as top executive declares plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs in rural areas while hiring new staff in major cities will boost workforce diversity<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>BT chief networks officer suggested ethnic diversity influences office location<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Chief Executive Allison Kirkby could pocket up to \u00a3220,000 for diversity targets\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Telecoms giant BT was last night under fire after a top executive declared that plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs in rural East Anglia while hiring new staff in major cities will boost its workforce diversity.<\/p>\n<p>In comments leaked to The Mail on Sunday, Howard Watson, BT&#8217;s chief networks officer, suggested that a &#8216;significant factor&#8217; in choosing where to locate major offices was the ethnic diversity of the area.<\/p>\n<p>One Tory MP yesterday accused BT of &#8216;pandering to political correctness&#8217; and warned it could be illegally discriminating against white staff.<\/p>\n<p>It comes as the MoS can reveal that BT&#8217;s new chief executive, Allison Kirkby, could pocket up to \u00a3220,000 in bonus payments specifically linked to &#8216;diversity and inclusion&#8217; targets.<\/p>\n<p>BT unveiled controversial plans in July to cut up to 1,100 jobs from its 2,900-strong base in Martlesham, near Ipswich, as part of a major overhaul of its offices called the &#8216;Better Workplace Programme&#8217;. Under the blueprint, some of the staff affected will be offered the chance to move to &#8216;strategic hub&#8217; cities including London, Birmingham and Manchester.<\/p>\n<p>A recording obtained by the MoS details Mr Watson telling staff the headcount reduction is a &#8216;shocking number&#8217;, but adds that BT would be able to recruit new workers in &#8216;many more places&#8217; which would &#8216;improve diversity inclusion over time&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/24\/00\/75771045-0-image-a-4_1695512394710.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Telecoms giant BT was last night under fire after a top executive declared that plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs in rural East Anglia while hiring new staff in major cities will boost its workforce diversity<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/24\/00\/75771077-0-image-a-5_1695512463903.jpg\" height=\"422\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>BT&#8217;s new chief executive, Allison Kirkby, could pocket up to \u00a3220,000 in bonus payments specifically linked to &#8216;diversity and inclusion&#8217; targets<\/p>\n<p>Asked whether boosting diversity and inclusion was a key reason for relocating jobs, Mr Watson replies: &#8216;That was a significant factor in the choice of the locations.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Martlesham is 95.8 per cent white, according to latest figures \u2013 in contrast, Birmingham is 48.7 per cent white.<\/p>\n<p>Former Government Minister Sir John Hayes said: &#8216;BT shouldn&#8217;t be pandering to political correctness. It needs to be clear if it is jeopardising workers&#8217; interests around an ideological agenda. That would be reprehensible and possibly illegal, too.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>The telecoms provider announced plans two years ago to more than double the share of its workforce from non-white backgrounds to 25 per cent by 2030, becoming the biggest British employer to impose such a target.<\/p>\n<p>In March, the proportion of ethnic minority staff at BT was 13.4 per cent, with bosses aiming for it to jump to 16 per cent by 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The annual bonus enjoyed by Ms Kirkby is \u2013 for the first time \u2013 partly connected to BT hitting its ambitious diversity targets and could contribute to a maximum pay-out of \u00a32.2 million on top of her \u00a31.1 million salary.<\/p>\n<p>A BT spokesperson said its Martlesham office &#8216;remains an essential site&#8217;, adding: &#8216;Our need to relocate roles reflects UK-wide efforts to focus investment into fewer, but more modern, buildings.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-12553851\/BT-executive-plans-cut-1-000-jobs-rural-areas-boost-workforce-diversity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anger at BT as top executive declares plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs in rural areas while hiring new staff in major cities will boost workforce diversity BT chief [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - 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