A CAMPAIGN which saved scores of jobs has won an award.
JOBS FIGHT: Demonstrators outside the BT Abbey Road call centre, in Barrow, in protest against job cuts. The campaign, led by the Communication Workers Union, has now won a TUC award JOE RILEY REF: 50014634B002
The Communication Workers Union and its members at the BT call centre fought to stave off plans to close the Abbey Road call centre.
Some 57 jobs were saved when the telecoms giant reversed its plans to close the unit at the beginning of this year.
Workers at the centre, in conjunction with the CWU, held several demonstrations and petitioned the company to prove keeping the centre open was worthwhile.
And now their ‘Don’t hang up on Barrow’ campaign has won an award.
The Trade Unions Congress has named it as the best unions campaign of 2011.
Kevin Slocombe, CWU’s head of communications, said he was delighted with the award, and said the community’s involvement was key in helping them keep the centre open.
He said: “We’re really delighted to have won the Best Campaign award for ‘Don’t hang up on Barrow’.
“It was a campaign which really came together locally, with the whole community pulling together for a common cause to save the jobs of local people.
“The staff in the call centre showed great determination and we had fantastic support from John Woodcock MP, local business organisations and of course, the North-West Evening Mail.
“The campaign was successful and saved local jobs in Barrow.
“We were up against dozens of other trade union entries, including much bigger unions like Unite. It just goes to show what you can do with a small budget when the right elements come together.”
Mr Woodcock worked with local employees and officials from the CWU to persuade BT managers to change their decision to close the call centre and move the work to India.
The MP said: “Barrow can be very proud of its successful campaign to keep the BT call centre, which has been sustaining local jobs for many decades.
“I am delighted for the employees and the CWU who have been rightly recognised for their determined and vocal campaign to persuade the company to think again.
“I was pleased to be able to support them achieve a great result that has kept good jobs in Furness for the foreseeable future.”