SLD 10/99 - STOP WORK MASS MEETING – CORPORATE EXPOSURE CAMPAIGN
We remind CEPU members in Telstra, that a MASS MEETING OF CEPU MEMBERS (employed on the EBA, and expired AWAs), has been called for WEDNESDAY, 5th MAY 2010.
In order to encourage the maximum possible attendance at the mass meeting, members will STOP WORK AT 10 AM ON WEDNESDAY 5TH MAY and travel to the mass meeting which will begin at 11 AM, at Trades Hall Council Chamber, Victorian Trades Hall, 54 Lygon Street, Carlton South
The mass meeting is called to provide an up-to-date report on the EBA campaign and negotiations, and to provide members with an opportunity to discuss the current situation prior to any vote on the issue which might occur.
Following the mass meeting members will march down to the T Life Shop in the city (corner Bourke and Swanston Sts.) for a protest rally and a public display of our opposition to the way Telstra is currently being run and managed, including management’s inadequate pay offer and the recent announcement of yet another 900 redundancies.
The Branch office is attempting to provide members in regional areas with the capacity to “tap in” to the mass meeting via land lines from central venues in those areas. More information will be provided when it is to hand.
Telstra has been notified that members will stop work at 10 AM for an indefinite stoppage on the day. This will give ample time to travel to and from the mass meeting and the T Life Shop rally. The action is legal, protected industrial action.
BUS TRANSPORT TO AND FROM THE MASS MEETING AND RALLY
The Branch office is trying to organise buses from Clayton and other places where necessary, to provide transport to and from the meeting and rally for CEPU members.
We need to know who is interested in this bus transport. Please contact the Branch office (Sharon, Trish or Jim), to book a spot on the bus.
YET MORE REDUNDANCIES
Trujillo’s 12,500 redundancies have now taken place. The latest 900 (approx) redundancies flagged by Telstra are a completely new batch of potential redundancies.
Trujillo’s job cuts have had a disastrous impact on customer service standards (as they were warned at the time). This latest 900 will be no different and will make the situation even worse. Telstra’s “NEEDLE” is already showing the disaster in customer service.
Already Management have downgraded alarm urgency, are reorganising desperately to try to cover unworkable gaps in performance and organisation, are pressuring employees to work more and more overtime, (including unpaid overtime), and employing contractors on large remuneration packages to try to get the work done.
What madness is this?
This is a company that made a near record profit last year, continuously produces an annual profit around the $4 billion per year mark, has a $6 billion free cash flow “nest egg” put aside, continues to pay the huge numbers of managers (and particularly senior managers), fabulous sums of money and literally has wasted tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars on poor or useless technologies, and change for change sake.
Why are the frontline staff and customers always made the bunnies by this company’s management?
ADVERSE ACTIONS – TELSTRA MANAGEMENT EXPOSED
The CEPU has had an important win in Fair Work Australia in relation to a number of adverse action claims arising out of the current Telstra industrial dispute.
“Adverse action” occurs when an employer harms an employee because she/he has exercised rights under the Fair Work Act, such as belonging to a union or taking industrial action.
The first of the union’s adverse action claims related to Telstra’s attempts to deny members their full TA payments on occasions when they took industrial action. Telstra said it would only pay proven costs in such cases.
FWA provided a view that Travel Allowance is not a payment that is covered by the section of the Fair Work Act that prohibits a company paying an employee who is taking industrial action. All TA underpayments will now be corrected across Australia.
FWA also refused to give an opinion as to whether or not a number of other actions by Telstra were likely to be found to be “adverse action”. While this still leaves these issues open, it suggests that FWA considers that the union’s case is worth pursuing.
On the question of recent changes to Perth rosters, however, FWA said that it did not consider that the matter fell into the “adverse action” category. But Deputy President Sams said that Telstra’s actions may constitute a breach of the Telstra Enterprise Agreement 2005-08.
This is a good result for the union which leaves the way open to pursue these issues further on behalf of our members.
If members have any cases where they believe that Management has acted against them or threatened to act against them “adversely”, relating to industrial action or other issues, they should contact CEPU urgently.
OVERTIME AND RECALL BANS RESTORED AND ONGOING FROM FRIDAY 30th APRIL 12.01 AM
OT & RECALL/START & END OF DAY
Overtime bans and recall bans continue to apply on a daily basis from tomorrow: Friday 30th April 2010 and includes weekends and public holidays - further notices regarding these bans and stoppages for the upcoming days have been forwarded to Telstra. These bans are legal, protected action.
As a further reminder, the ban relating to unpaid overtime continues to apply to the unpaid "log on" prior to normal start time as well as work functions outside normal paid hours.
For example members that would normally log on at 7.30 am with an "on site" start time of 8.00 am, should commence log on to start work at 8.00 am then travel to first job.
Other members in areas such as call centres, where Telstra try to force them into a ready situation prior to their start time should also apply this action. They also should be logging on at their actual start time.
END OF DAY
No function other than actually driving home (to a maximum of 30 minutes ) past the normal paid knock-off time should be performed at the end of day. Members who would normally clear work during normal hours should continue to do so, However members should not perform any other out of hours function including the "submit" function for last ticket of work.
End of day functions that are covered by the ban on paid & unpaid O/T include: dropping off or picking up stores at depot, filling out paper work, any computer related functions including shutting it off , phone log off, etc.
Members should simply upon returning home, park the vehicle, turn it and their phone off. There is no need to notify anybody as the GPS will already know that the vehicle has been parked at its normal location.
Members simply apply the overtime ban from the time they finish driving until they log on again at their start time.
OTHER ACTION
The paid & unpaid OT/Recall should also be applied to performing other functions outside the normal hours of duty such as, washing and cleaning vehicles, training, etc.
Any problems with the implementation of these bans should be notified to the branch office for discussion or resolution.
For any queries, please contact either John Ellery 0419 823 580 or Len Cooper 0438 389 302
LEN COOPER
CEPU Branch Secretary
M. 0438 389 302
JOHN ELLERY
CEPU Branch Assistant Secretary
M. 0419 823 580
