As indicated in
previous
e-Bulletins,
headline issues
include:
1. regulation
of performance
management systems
to ensure fairness
and transparency;
2. updating,
where necessary, of
banding and
classification
systems;
3. redundancy
provisions;
4. dispute
settlement and
consultation
processes.
As members would be
aware, legislative
changes introduced
by the former Howard
Government put a
number of key
Telstra conditions
at risk and it is
important that these
are now secured in
the new EA.
For instance, under
WorkChoices, the
Telstra Redundancy
Agreement expired
once any new EA (or
AWA or ECA) was
agreed on. The
Fair Work Act
did not change this
situation so it is
now necessary to
incorporate members’
entitlements in the
new EA.
Similarly, the
Howard Government’s
privatisation of
Telstra meant that
members were no
longer guaranteed
certain conditions
such as maternity
leave and long
service leave.
Again, these
conditions have to
be incorporated into
the new agreement
(as they have been
in the current one).
On the positive
side, the laws
introduced by Labor
mean that Telstra
has to agree to
third-party
involvement in
dispute settlement
procedures. In other
words, they have to
allow an independent
umpire to deal with
disputes and cannot
keep the whole
process in-house.
However, there is as
yet no agreement
between Telstra and
the CEPU as to
whether that
“umpire” (which can
be either Fair Work
Australia or another
body) can arbitrate
disputes.
No final agreement
has been reached on
the detail of these
questions and a
number of other
issues, including
the scale of salary
increases, have yet
to be discussed.
However, the CEPU is
hopeful of there
being a desire on
both sides to reach
agreement as soon as
possible and the
Union is working to
achieve this.
