Wholesale vote underway; commission criticises Telstra
September 15, 2008
Workers in Telstra Wholesale and Service Advantage (Call Centric) are voting now on the take it or leave it, non-negotiated company pay offer that is likely to become the basis of wages and conditions for all employees.
There are many reasons why unions believe they should vote no: it will split the workforce and create an underclass of employees, it has inadequate pay rises, and it will take away rights at work. There is a better way.
Unions made a final attempt to postpone the vote and bring management back to the negotiating table at a special hearing of the Australian Industrial relations Commission on Saturday.
Unions were seeking orders to force Telstra to respect the right of its workers to be represented and bargain in good faith. This included asking the commission to conduct a ballot of about 11,000 workers to determine whether they would prefer a union-negotiated agreement to the non-union job contract the company is insisting upon.
The independent umpire confirmed that the Work Choices laws curtailed the powers it has to resolve the Telstra dispute despite finding that the company has acted in bad faith.
The commission found the current Work Choices laws provide no rights to good faith bargaining, prompting unions to again call on the government to move as quickly as possible to restore decent laws.
But Telstra can take little joy from the decision of Senior Deputy President Lacy.
He was scathing about Telstra’s behaviour during negotiations:
“I don’t think Telstra should take any pride [from today's decision] … It seems to me that Telstra has been invited to participate in proceedings in the commission. Apart from raising the issue of jurisdiction, it has done nothing to rebuff the material that has been put [by unions about Telstra's bad faith bargaining], and in fact has refused to participate in proceedings.”
On the Work Choices laws, SDP Lacy said:
“I have no jurisdiction . . . The legislation as it stands gives the parties the rights they have taken. There’s nothing I can do about what the law is. The law is written by Parliament; it’s simply my job, my role, to apply the law as it stands.”
On Telstra’s decision to proceed to put the offer to a vote on Monday, he said:
“On the material that is before me, it is disappointing that Telstra has conducted itself in the way it has.”
By its continuing belligerence and refusal to negotiate in good faith, Telstra has managed to alienate the Industrial Relations Commission, the Deputy Prime Minster, and the vast majority of Australians who voted last year to get rid of Work Choices.
Unions will continue to call on Telstra to get back to the negotiating table and act in good faith.
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4 Responses to “Wholesale vote underway; commission criticises Telstra”
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Telstra are spending lots and lots of money in legal costs in an effort to remove the unions’ from our workplace.
If Telstra are truly genuine when they profess to care about our pay, our conditions of employent and being an equal opportunity employer, what on earth do they have to fear from our unions?
Unions stand for equality and a fair days work for a fair days pay, nothing more, nothing less.
Does Telstra have an as yet undisclosed agenda?
Do we trust Telstra to have total control?
Are our jobs secure without our unions involvement?
I know which way I will be voting when offered the opportunity.
It has been announced, the Wholesale and Service Advantage non-union “collective” AWA has been rejected by the employees!!! I wonder if Andrea Grant still gets her bonus??
I, like many employees, was very surprised that Telstra didn’t announce that both the Wholesale and Service Advantage agreements were rejected on nowwearetalking.com.
Well done Wholesale and Service Advantage, hopefully Telstra will now listen to it’s people and get back to talking with OUR unions.
We need to present a united front - collectively we can achieve a lot and this is evidenced by this vote. Congratulations Wholesale staff for being the first to reject this offer.