Telecommunications
Industrial action to deepen: CEPU Divisional Executive
(1 May, 2009): The action of the last few weeks reflects a decision by the Divisional Executive of the CEPU to step up the industrial action after evaluating the situation and the start of the new laws in July.
The position of the CEPU Divisional Executive has taken on the Telstra EA industrial campaign is as follows:
"The Divisional Executive of the CEPU, at its meeting on the 30 and 31 March 2009, reviewed and assessed the union's campaign to secure a new EBA for Telstra employees.
Following the reviews, the Divisional Executive declared that:
- It is clear that members are continuing to demand a union negotiated EBA.
- The introduction of the Fair Work Act will provide the legal right for employees to force Telstra to bargain with their union over a new EBA, however, this will not necessarily ensure an acceptable outcome.
- Therefore the Divisional Executive resolves that the industrial campaign to secure a fair and reasonable EBA will be intensified across the board.
- The industrial action will include:
- CEPU members taking protected industrial action more often;
- members in some selected key work areas taking protected industrial action more often and for longer periods;
- members in other selected key work areas/parts of the business taking short, sharp protected industrial action more often, when this is appropriate;
The protected industrial action will impact management's capacity to manage, will impact its major transformation projects and cut overs and will impact its operational capacity in major revenue areas.
It is unfortunate that the campaign will have these impacts, however, Telstra management has no one to blame but itself, by stubbornly refusing to negotiate.
The Divisional Executive congratulates the members for their decisive rejection of Telstra's third rate, non-union, non-negotiated Employee contracts (ECA), and for their commitment to the effective industrial campaign conducted so far.
The Communications Division Divisional Executive will facilitate further meetings of members in all States, to discuss all aspects of the EBA campaign, including the protected industrial action campaign and any terms of settlement of a new agreement."
Telstra senior management needs to understand that the current disruption to its operations will continue one way or another, until they negotiate, with a view to a decent deal for Telstra workers.
As has been the case since Telstra walked away from the negotiations in 2008, the CEPU is ready to talk at any time.