Telecommunications
You're noticed when you're not there
(15 January, 2009): Telstra’s refusal to negotiate a union agreement has led to the CEPU and other union members, taking legal, protected industrial action to secure a reasonable agreement covering wages, conditions and workplace rights.
The ballot of members conducted just prior to Christmas saw over 90% of CEPU members voting for a range of actions covering 4 hour, 24 hour and 48 hour strikes, indefinite strikes, and bans on overtime, recalls/call backs etc.
Under the provisions of the now discredited “WorkChoices” laws, among other things, union members are required to use each one of those balloted industrial actions listed above at least once in the first thirty days (9 January deadline in our case), in order to be able to continue to use it for the whole period of the dispute.
Members responded magnificent response from our members throughout Australia.
- A huge backlog of tickets of work, (a one week backlog , at least, beyond normal delays), both in servicing and provisioning, across the company.
- Since then staffing has been dramatically reduced by the Christmas-New Year period, and therefore the backlog continues, with management in some areas at least, offering unlimited overtime to try to reduce the backlogs (by the way you are only required to work “a reasonable” amount of overtime, and you should make a judgement on what you believe is “reasonable” given the impact on your health, private life and family, and your preference.)
- Delays in a number of projects important to the company transformation process.
- A major failure in EFTPOS/ATM service in various parts of Australia.
- A downgrading of many faults at the GOC, because of lack of capacity to do the work due to the strike action.
- A number of major transmission failures were averted in this period, due to CEPU’s concern over life and limb.
- Management right around Australia were and still are frantically attempting to avert or minimise the impact of CEPU members’ action.
Just to summarise the action to date:
- The Transmission area and other areas at the GOC were out for 48 hours or 52 hours.
- All members in Alice Springs went out for 48 hours.
- All construction members in NSW and Victoria walked out for 48 hours.
- All CBD members throughout Australia and GOC members went out for 4 hours. CPSU members went out with them.
- All Call Centre members at Burwood and Bendigo walked out for 4 hours. CPSU members went out with them.
- All Service Delivery members throughout Australia and all Tasmanian members also walked out for 48 hours.
- There have numerous weekends where members refused to do overtime, recalls and call backs.
This was all in about eight days.
With the bans on OT and recall over the weekend of the 10 and 11 January, we began the next phase of our industrial campaign.
For strategic reasons these bans were not for all states and all work groups, but for selected groups only.
During the week of the 12 to 16 January, there will be further action at the Global Operations centre and other areas.
As people return to work from the holidays, the industrial action will ramp up around Australia. The CEPU is digging in for a long dispute, if that is required.
In a sign of major problems ahead for Telstra, members in workplaces throughout Australia are contacting the union to be involved in the action and/or to take more action.
They are enthusiastic about doing their bit to protect their right to union bargaining, and to a decent EBA.
Telstra HR’s stupidity has unfortunately backed the company into a corner with its unacceptable refusal to negotiate.
This is a position it cannot sustain.
With the potential of a long-running industrial disruption to its operations, and with Federal Government legislation going through parliament which will force employers into good-faith bargaining with the unions, Telstra is on a “hiding to nothing”.
The terrific support of CEPU members will guarantee the sort of good quality union-negotiated EBA all Telstra employees deserve.
Keep up the good work.