Government build of NBN good news for telecommunications industry

April 7, 2009

The announcement of a new Government-created company to build the National Broadband Network is great news for our industry.

The NBN is a crucial piece of nation-building infrastructure that will help transform the Australian economy and the national telecommunications industry for the 21st century.

The Government investment in this project will maximise Australian jobs, encourage business investment, boost consumer demand and confidence and mitigate the worst impacts of the economic downturn.

The NBN will create thousands of highly-skilled jobs in the construction and maintenance of the new network.

Unions look forward to working with the Government in delivering this project in a constructive and co-operative workplace environment, with decent, quality jobs and skills development.

We will seek immediate meetings with the Government to ensure the maximum benefit for Australian telco workers.

Co-operative industrial relations with respect from both sides will be essential in delivering this project on time and on budget.

We are confident that the Government’s majority shareholding in the company will ensure that best practice IR is achieved adhering to the Fair Work Act.

It is disappointing that the management and board of Telstra have put at risk the jobs and future investment and shareholder value by failing to treat the tender process with respect and not lodging a compliant bid for the project.

Telstra management now stand at a crossroads –  they can engage positively with the government and the network builder to ensure the smooth rollout of this project, or continue  their strategy of belligerence and opposition.

The Telstra management strategy on the NBN has clearly failed.

For the sake of its employees and shareholders, the board and management need to urgently reconsider their unnecessary combative stance to all stakeholders and adopt a new approach of positive engagement.

Our door remains open at any time to Telstra to begin negotiating a new enterprise agreement.

The great bulk of Telstra employees in recent months have rejected management’s inferior non-union offers, and opted to continue to campaign for a union-negotiated collective agreement  for all Telstra employees.

We will continue to campaign for decent rights and conditions at Telstra, just as we intend to seek in the new Government-owned entity that will build and operate the NBN to ensure that there are decent, quality jobs for everyone who works in the telecommunications industry. 

If you’re not already a union member call 1300 362 223.

Written by TelstraUnions · Filed Under News 

Comments

One Response to “Government build of NBN good news for telecommunications industry”

  1. Raj on June 3rd, 2009 4:35 am

    finally which company got the project for NBN?

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