Telstra EBA – Where to from here?

Telstra EBA – Where to from here?

Telstra’s EBA offer was tabled with the Unions last Thursday. This has confirmed in our minds that the strategy of Telstra to put something very unpalatable on the table, and then enable a quick vote, is foremost in their minds.

The EBA offer is a no holds barred challenge to your current workplace arrangements. For all staff (Workstream and Job Family), the proposal to remove redundancy payouts (if you are offered a “suitable position” when confronted with a “transfer of business” or “transfer of employment”) is totally unacceptable.

The 1.5% pay offer speaks for itself, and just shows why this Telstra management group is on the nose with their employees, customers, most of their “mum and dad” shareholders, and the Australian community as a whole.   The way in which Telstra’s customers are shoved off to offshore service providers when faults exist, and the repeated failures in the network all indicate something is very wrong in the way this company is managed. It now appears that the staff are the ones that are being asked to get the company back on the rails. This pay offer is less than the current very flawed CPI measure. Every Telstra employee knows their cost of living is increasing greater than the unrealistic CPI, and this offer puts you significantly worse off.

Additionally, Telstra intend to remove Performance Pay principles in the EBA to Telstra policy, which is a clear intent to roll back any centralised method of giving every staff member security about pay movement. For those on Job Family arrangements, the proposed EBA does not provide any guaranteed pay rise for an individual. This right wing agenda closely follows the deregulation path favoured by right wing think tanks and employer focussed organisations such as the Business Council of Australia (BCA), the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). There are no prizes for guessing why Telstra want to further erode an individual’s ability to get a decent pay rise.

On top of that, when 25,000 votes are offered to decide on the acceptance of this EBA, over 5,500 of those votes will be offered to staff who do not have the proposed EBA as their employment instrument (ie their conditions are set by the expired AWA or ITEA that they currently sit on), yet they still get the opportunity to vote on your EBA conditions.

Telstra indicated they intend to put the “draft” Telstra EBA out to vote in August. Clearly the position and demands of the boss with this blatant and premeditated attack on wages and conditions needs to be exposed, confronted and resisted by the Union membership and all Telstra staff.

What can you do?

Firstly, Telstra management provides an internal feedback mechanism called Yammer that needs to be utilised to let the boss know this EBA proposal is unacceptable. Use it carefully and professionally.

Secondly, talk about this attack amongst fellow workers. Let’s be clear about this, this is a terrible offer. Everyone needs to know that what is proposed is totally unacceptable.

Thirdly, join us in Members’ meetings that will be called next week, starting next Monday. In addition, encourage non-members to join this Union. Pushing back together is the best, most efficient way.

Communication Workers Union Postal and Telecommunications Branch Victoria (CWU P&T Vic)
PO Box 14 Brunswick West | p 9387 0189  | f 9387 3512 | e office@cwuvic.asn.au | w www.cwuvic.asn.au

Communication Workers Union is the Communications Division of the CEPU