The Communication Workers Union is preparing for strike action concerning pay, which possibly will result in the walkout by half of BT employees and can cause major telephone and internet disturbance.

The Communication Workers Union has given a threat that it would hold a long strike at BT, in an effort to force the corporation to come up with an improved pay offer for its associates.

The CWU is sending out vote papers, today. This might result in a walkout by no less than half of BT's employees, leaving thousands of consumers with no phone lines or internet access.

Andy Kerr, CWU's Deputy General Secretary, told the Financial Times that the union was ready to strike BT with noteworthy disturbance, if needed.

Discussions between BT and the union, which is a representative of more than 50,000 BT personnel, saw a collapse in the previous week after the union rebuffed the Company's revised pay tender, saying that it did not improve on the 2% increase for 2010 already on the desk. The CWU has placed a demand for a pay increase of 5%.

Kerr told the FT that the union was eager to compromise on a lower number, but recapped that 2% was intolerable. Union leaders have put accusations on BT of obvious double standards in its tactics to award bumper bonuses to senior executives, after an increase in income.