For fourteen years, the London Weighting allowance for BT and Openreach employees has remained unchanged. During that time, almost everything else has become more expensive. Rents have increased. Mortgage repayments have risen. The cost of travelling to work has climbed. Household bills, food, energy and everyday essentials now take up a far greater share of workers’ incomes than they did when London Weighting was last reviewed in 2012. Yet the allowance intended to recognise the additional cost of living and working in and around London has stood still. For thousands of BT and Openreach employees across London and the surrounding areas, this is not simply a number on a payslip. It affects everyday decisions about where members can afford to live, how far they have to travel to work, the cost of commuting and how much of their income remains once essential bills have been paid. Some members are travelling longer distances because living closer to their workplace has become unaffordable. Others are seeing more of their wages absorbed by housing, transport and household costs before they have even budgeted for food, heating or supporting their families.
This is about fairness
The London Weighting Campaign is not asking for special treatment. It’s about recognising the genuine additional costs faced by people working in one of the most expensive regions in the United Kingdom. A London Weighting allowance should reflect today’s economic reality, not the reality of fourteen years ago. That is why CWU Capital Branch, are working with Greater London Combined Branch and South London, Surrey & North Hampshire Branch, and campaigning for a fair increase in the BT Group London Weighting allowance.
Our aim is clear. We want to get BT Group back around the table.
Building the evidence together
To make the strongest possible case for change, we need clear evidence based on the real experiences of members. The campaign is bringing together independent research, cost of living analysis and, most importantly, first hand evidence from BT and Openreach workers across London. Through member surveys, personal experiences, political engagement and public campaigning, we can demonstrate what fourteen years without an increase has meant for members, their families, their finances and their quality of life. Evidence gives us greater influence. Every survey completed and every experience shared helps strengthen the collective case we can put to BT and Openreach, politicians and other stakeholders.
Your experience matters
If you are a BT or Openreach employee and a CWU member, we need you to be part of the campaign. Share your experience through the London Weighting survey and tell us whether the existing allowance reflects the real cost of living and working in and around London. The more members who participate, the stronger our evidence becomes. After fourteen years without an increase, members are rightly asking for action. Together, this is our campaign. Your experience matters. Your voice can help make the difference.
Take part in the survey here. If you have not received the survey by email, contact CWU Capital Branch. Find out more about the campaign vist the campaign hub.