BT is ready to cut 6,500 jobs following chief executive Gavin Patterson's strategy review

The CWU communications union today voiced “serious concerns” over thousands of job losses set to be unveiled by BT next week.

Reports suggest that BT is ready to cut around 6,500 jobs from its 110,000 workforce as part of a new corporate strategy from under-pressure chief executive Gavin Patterson to revive a flagging share price.

Front and middle management roles are understood to be the chief target of Patterson’s cull rather than engineers, but a CWU spokesman said the union had serious concerns over the cuts and seeking urgent talks with the company. The shares barely moved on the news, adding 1.55p to 233.7p.

BT, whose shares have slumped in the wake of setbacks including a fraud scandal in Italy and a record £42 million fine from Ofcom, declined to comment.

The telecoms giant also announced an overhaul of its board, as two long-serving non-executive directors, Tony Ball and Karen Richardson, stepped down.