Workers at telecoms giant BT did not show up for work today in the first of two strikes in a row over pay.
Engineers and call centre staff voted in favour of industrial action after BT offered a £1,500 per year pay rise.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the action will be the first national telecoms strike since 1987.
It has warned the strikes will likely to affect the rollout of ultra-fast broadband, and could cause issues for people working from home.
BT has said it had “tried and tested processes for large-scale colleague absences” to minimise disruption.
More than 40,000 workers are to walk out with picket lines expected across the country on Friday, with a second strike planned for Monday.
BT has repeatedly said it made its best pay offer and would not be re-opening the 2022 pay review.
The CWU has previously criticised the deal saying company bosses had “stuck two fingers up” to workers.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said ahead of the strikes there would be “hundreds of picket lines” arranged across the UK on Friday.
“Our members kept the country connected during the pandemic. They deserve a proper pay rise, and that’s what they’re going to get”, he said.
“Workers at BT Group will never accept their bosses using Swiss banks while they use food banks.”
On Thursday, BT revealed its first sales growth for five years as the telecoms firm benefited from price increases for customers earlier this year.
