Andy Kerr, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “We’re obviously very disappointed that BT has not improved its pay offer of 2 per cent despite their healthy profits this year.
“We now have no option than to put the wheels in motion to ballot all appropriate members in BT for strike action, which would be the first action of its kind in over 20 years.
“We’ve made our position very clear, 2 per cent is not good enough when the company is making profits of over £1 billion, paying shareholders a 6 per cent dividend and paying out large sums to senior executives while inflation is at 5.3 per cent.
“Our members are angry about the blatant double standards when it comes to pay for those at the top compared to the rest of staff at the company. We’re not asking for the earth, we’re asking for a fair and affordable share of BT’s success. If it’s good enough for the executives it’s good enough for the staff.
”We remain open to discussions with BT at any time, but only a revised pay offer will bring this dispute to an end.”