Play Fair Telstra

November 21, 2008

For months, Telstra has been ignoring its workforce’s right to a fair, union-negotiated enterprise agreement.  There has been no negotiations since Telstra’s management unilaterally walked away from the bargaining table in July.

Since then, Telstra’s workforce has rejected an inadequate company-wide non-union offer from management that would have undermined core conditions and divided the workforce.  Management has been heavily criticised by the Federal Government, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and the Federal Court.

But still management won’t listen.

Christmas is approaching and Telstra’s workforce hasn’t had a pay rise.  They feel like they’ve been treated with total contempt by management.

The Rudd Government was elected with a mandate to scrap WorkChoices and restore rights at work.  This includes the banning of Australian Workplace Agreements and respect for the rights of workers to collectively bargain.

Telstra was one of the biggest cheerleaders of WorkChoices and is taking advantage of the period between the election and the introduction of new industrial relations laws to entrench a WorkChoices-style system. Internal company documents leaked to the media earlier this year revealed that management was pursuing this strategy to cut its wages bill by tens of millions of dollars, and pull wages into line with those in smaller, less profitable companies in the telecommunications industry.

Telstra’s workforce has done their bit in making Telstra an enormously profitable business for shareholders.  But shouldn’t the workforce be reward too?

The claim is far from exorbitant, but what Telstra management has offered to its workforce doesn’t keep pace with the cost of living - it’s a real wage cut!  Telstra’s profits increased by 13.5% last year and Sol Trujillo’s remuneration package grew by almost 14% to $13 million while they’re only prepared to pay workers 12.5% over three years - that’s less than the rate of inflation!

Over the next few weeks Telstra’s workforce will be voting YES to take protected action.  This will involve a series of strikes and a range of other industrial action.  They don’t want to lose pay and they don’t want to inconvenience customers, but the workforce feels taking industrial action is the only way Telstra’s management will take notice.

Telstra’s workforce only wants decent pay, conditions retained and a better way of sorting out disputes.  Is that too much to ask for?

Written by TelstraUnions · Filed Under Telstra HR's dodgy dealings, Union bulletins 

Comments

2 Responses to “Play Fair Telstra”

  1. Paul on November 21st, 2008 12:27 pm

    If Telstra is genuinely considerate of their employees they have nothing to fear from any union. A YES vote for protected action in Telstra is the go.
    An ECA (non union agreement) = TTC (total Telstra control).

  2. Tron Lord on November 22nd, 2008 12:52 am

    Good on you Telstra workers. It’s a disgrace that you have to fight so hard for basic rights at work.

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