London North Central Internal POEU NEW technology is transforming the national telecommunications and the government wants to make sure that these changes benefit big business.
It's the ordinary telephone user who will be footing the bill, with a 22 per cent rise in charges last time round cent more than that for business users.
Around £1,500m will be invested this year by British Telecoms on modernisation of the network, £200m less than it would like to spend. The shortfall caused by the policy, so if this level of investment is to be maintained, prices will continue to rise and the wages of telecoms workers wil de unreaedeo Last July ine nrsl or ine new telephone exchanges, known as System X, was installed. Almost f40m was spent by the Post Office in 1980 alone on the development of this new svstem. which enables exchanges to transmit intormation digitally, like a computer.
System X will be the lynchpin of the modernised telecoms network, and big business stands to benefit from this programme in several ways:
• The new system will allow the computers of the banks, finance houses, and giant corporations to 'talk' to each other over the public network, which is no use to ordinary subscribers.
•A range of facilities, such as abbreviated dilling, conferences by phone, switching, are great for hardly a must for the 2.5m unemployed.
• The replacement of existing, changes by the new generation is often making 'obsolete' exchanges which still potentially have a long life - a useful boost in orders to the private sector manufacturers during a slump.
• The development costs of System X — so far over £100m — have been mainly paid for by the Post Office. The private manufacturers involved - GEC, Plessey, and STC while they have a guaranteed market for the new system in the Post Office.
At the same time, they have equal shares with the Post Office in British Telecoms Systems Ltd, a zoll connoarv ser oto markel oystem s neua tionally. So, with minimum risk and investment, taey slana lo crcam ont a smal fortune nom saic. of the new system.
While the ordinary customer foots the bill for this modernisation programme in the interests of big business, telecoms workers will suffer, too.
No staffing levels have been agreed between the POEU and the Post Office for System X because the PO refuses to get down to serious discussions.
System X is designed to be, as far as possible, self-maintaining. At present, mechanical exchanges each require the attention of a skilled team of engineers to keep them running. System X will end all that.
It will be able to locate and isolate faults in itself, which in most cases will then simply require someone to replace a plug-in unit. engineers will be able to cover a number of exchanges from a central maintenance centre. job losses will be phenomenal.
While new technology drudgery needed to produce the goods and services we all need to survive, it isn't being used for that Loudy.
System X presently means rich pickings for the Tew nare so owuo coruo uc ссонон together with higher prices, unemployment for the rest of us.
Only a planned economy, run by and for working people, can turn the wonders of new technoloy trom a source or oppression ana misery inlo a whole new world of opportunity and plenty.
OH...HAVEN'T YOU HEARD?TRENSOS HAL HEVELTON IS OVER... WE WON...
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