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Conference Motions on Internet Misuse within BT

9 January 2008

There was a very animated debate at the TIC Conference 2007 on the question of Internet Abuse within BT.

Specifically, the conference adopted three motions on this issue.

Click to show / hide motions.

The union has been in detailed correspondence with BT over the summer and a meeting to discuss how it might be possible to make progress on our concerns took place on 11 December 2007.

The meeting with Representatives of the company at group level, was a comprehensive and constructive exchange. The T&FSE team presented arguments in support of a more comprehensive method of blocking inappropriate websites, possibly on a building basis, and in support of a voluntary opt-out of internet usage.

Whilst understanding why we were taking this position, the company have indicated that they are unwilling to move on these issues.

However, the company's position was placed very much in the context of understanding the level of concern about the way in which the internet abuse policy was perceived, such that the notion of mass blocking or a voluntary opt out was viewed as desirable. This provided the opportunity for a helpful review of the respective positions of the CWU and the company on handling internet abuse cases.

The CWU team were happy to re-affirm its total commitment to the view that access of offensive and in some cases illegal material is not acceptable and that there needs to be clarity about what constitutes such material.

The main area of debate concentrated on the clear view of conference that mitigating arguments and personal circumstance were all too frequently not being taken into consideration when determining what penalty should be applied for internet abuse cases where the offensive quality of the material being viewed or downloaded was ambiguous. We were given assurances from the company that the role of mitigating factors and personal circumstances in the evaluation of misconduct cases including internet abuse remains highly relevant.

The T&FSE will therefore continue to keep these cases under close review and where we consider there are individual cases that give cause for a particular concern we will raise them with the company.

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