South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth was out on Monday to support the action being taken by members of the CWU outside the former telephone exchange on Loreburn Street.

The national strike has seen about 40,000 CWU members across BT and Openreach down tools en-masse on Sunday and Monday in a historic display of disgust at management’s blatant contempt for workers and customers alike.

The union is protesting against real-term pay cuts that have left some reliant on food banks in an ever-deepening cost of living crisis.

The strike began just hours after the release of company’s latest quarterly results which once again nailed management’s claim that BT cannot afford to pay frontline workers a rise that even comes close to inflation.

Colin Smyth said: “This is the first time BT workers have gone on strike in 35 years but the situation has become untenable and I was proud to attend the picket line in Dumfries on Monday and show my solidarity.

“At a time BT’s CEO Philip Jansen has pocketed a 32 per cent pay increase, the least that workers can expect is fair pay.

“With the cost of living rocketing, workers should not be in the situation where they can’t afford to feed their families.”