Virgin Media doubles safety reps

The CWU communications union has more than doubled its complement of health and safety representatives at Virgin Media following a new initiative.

Union penetration has been patchy at the group, which comprises a number of former companies such as Telewest and NTL. In fact, until recently there were only seven health and safety reps in the group.

However, the CWU arranged a five-day training session at its education and training centre in Oxfordshire, endorsed by Virgin Media. The course dealt with issues such as how to carry out risk assessments as well as organising in the workplace. Elaine Taylor, organiser at the CWU, said: “Virgin Media has clearly realised that there’s a value in our involvement.”

The course resulted in Virgin Media having 10 new health and safety reps — more than doubling the previous contingent.

Chris Leyland, one of the course attendees, said: “The course provided by the CWU, in conjunction with Virgin Media, was excellent and very informative, and I’m proud to state I now have the skills to perform in my role as an H&S rep”.

Any CWU member at Virgin Media who wants more information about being a health and safety rep can contact Jeff Moffitt at [email protected].