CEPU: Telstra Unions call for new negotiations and a 5% payrise for all employees

In the wake of employees’ rejection of Telstra management’s Employee Collective Agreements (ECAs), the CEPU is calling for a resumption of Union negotiations and a minimum 5% payrise for all Telstra staff to be paid immediately.

A payrise now
Given the current rate of inflation and the uncertain times facing employees, a 5% rise should be the base level rise for all workers in the company, no matter what agreement or contract they are on. With Telstra turning in a 13.5% rise in profits this last financial year and handing out rises in executive pay packages of at least 14%, a 5% rise in employee wages is both affordable and fair.

Telstra employees should not be made to pay the price for management’s stubborn refusal to negotiate with their representatives. Telstra could chose to pay this amount now while the CEPU and other Telstra Unions sort out the details of a new collective agreement.

Telstra still won’t negotiate.
The Unions are also calling on Telstra to respect employees’ wishes for a Union-negotiated agreement that covers staff across the whole company. The CEPU believes such an agreement should:

Protect current conditions, including redundancy entitlements, for both existing and new staff.
Allow employees currently on AWAs to transfer to the agreement with no disadvantage and at a time of their choice.
Provide proper regulation of performance-based pay and performance management systems to prevent unfair treatment.
Allow broad salary sacrifice arrangements for all employees, including on vehicles.

But in a letter sent to Unions last week, Telstra has indicated that it has no intention of returning to the bargaining table. Instead it is continuing to roll out briefing sessions about its flawed PartA/PartB non-Union negotiated model to staff across the company, despite the verdict on it that employees in Wholesale and Service Advantage have already delivered.