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BT scraps plan to outsource
Page 8
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• Telecommunications giant LiT has scrapped plans to outsource its 51,000-strong fleet of vehicles.
The company will now concentrate on boosting the number of vehicle-related services it sells to other companies.
BT claims its 33,000 light CVs, 13,500 cars, 400 HGVs and 4,500 trailers and specialist vehicles add up to the biggest in-house fleet in the country, A spokesman says discussions about outsourcing the business, called BT Fleet, began last year and several serious expressions of interest were received. "Following a further analysis of the options, BT has determined that none of the offers received were sufficiently attractive to pursue further, and has therefore decided to retain BT Fleet in-house."
However, BT still believes that Fleet, with nearly 90 workshops and 700 employees, is under-exploited. "We could help other companies meet their requirements by using what we have—a lot of expertise and experience as well as vehicle and maintenance resources," says the spokesman.
Simon Sapper, national officer for the Communication Workers Union, says LEX was believed to be the preferred bidder. He says BT agreed in mid-December not to look at outsourcing or a joint venture for BT Fleet for another four years. "We are delighted to be able to strike a deal with BT to protect our members' terms, conditions and job security."
Sapper says BT Fleet's 500 mechanics face significant changes in working hours to meet demand for 24-hour, seven days-a-week servicing contracts from potential customers. "It's quite possible there could be more jobs," he adds.