Bell Atlantic hit by strike

A strike by 73,000 Bell Atlantic employees has highlighted the problem of keeping good, permanent jobs in the US telecoms sector, according to Morton Bahr, president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The workers and the CWA claim Bell Atlantic - a regional Bell operating company which spans the east coast of the US from New England to Virginia - plans to outsource and convert certain jobs into temporary and low paid positions.

Bahr said: "The Clinton administration has put forth a vision of a society in the 21st century based on creating high skill, high wage jobs - and that's what this strike is all about. Telecommunications is the industry that, more than any other, should be leading the way toward creating good jobs with good pay and working conditions for the Information Age."

However, Bell Atlantic claims there is "absolutely no reason" for the strike. The company rejected the union's claims, but has remained in talks to resolve the dispute. Until that happens - and some observers have noted a settlement may be close - company managers have been handling key operations.

Bell Atlantic, which grew in size last year when it acquired neighbouring Baby Bell, Nynex, recently announced plans to merge with GTE, a provider of local, long-distance, wireless and Internet services across the US.