The move by Telstra HR managers to call off  Enterprise Agreement talks puts at risk the future pay and job conditions of around 32,000 Telstra workers.

 

Telstra workers should be very disappointed with the approach being taken by the company’s Human Resources managers.

 

Calling off talks at such an early stage of negotiations is not at all helpful.

 

In fact a lot of people will be scratching their head wondering what is to be gained by pulling out of wage talks so early in the piece.   What are Telstra’s HR managers scared of?

 

The reality is there are more than 20,000 workers at Telstra who are on Australian Workplace Agreements that will expire in the near future.

 

Work Choices and the use of AWA individual contracts were resoundingly rejected by the Australian public at last year's federal election.

 

It’s appalling that the company’s management ignored the result of the election and went ahead to sign up a further 15,000 employees onto new AWAs after the election and before AWAs were banned by the new Govt.

 

The Rudd Government has banned new AWAs so these workers want and deserve the certainty for wages and entitlements provided through a collective agreement.

 

They also want the security of being represented by their union.  It’s their choice to do this.

 

Common-sense and cooperation, not ideology, need to prevail.

 

The company really needs to sit down with unions and plan for an orderly transition to a collective agreement that will protect everyone’s pay and conditions.

 

We encourage the company to drop its obsessive adherence to Work Choices and to adopt a more cooperative approach with its staff and their unions.

 

The bottom line

 

THIS IS NOT ABOUT BROADBAND – TELSTRA IS WRONG

• This is about protecting workers’ pay and conditions and maintaining their job security.
   

• Unions want to see the company grow and prosper and provide good, well –paid jobs for all of the staff, not just the senior management on multi-million dollar salaries.
   

• The MOU is all about moving forward constructively with the company and ensuring they treat their workers who are members of a union with respect.