Communication Workers Union

Signal 552 – 13 June 2008
In this issue:

1. Life Membership/Meritorious Service Awards
2. Telstra EBA Survey: What You Are Telling Us
3. Telstra EBA: Preliminary Talks Continue
4. Telstra Integrated Logistics
5. Unions Call For Action Against Off-shoring
6. Asbestos Laws Strengthened
7. Unions Outline The Case For Change
 

CEPU (T&S) Victoria ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
6pm on WEDNESDAY 25th JUNE 2008 1st Floor, 139 Queensberry St, Carlton South
AGENDA
· Minutes & Business Arising
· Correspondence
· Presentation Of Financial Report
· Presentation Of Annual Report
· Election Of Branch Auditor
· Election Of Branch Returning Officer
· Election Of Branch Poll Clerks
· Method Of Count For Election
· Reports
· General Business:
6PM Presentation of Life Membership and Meritorious Service Awards
LEN COOPER, Branch Secretary

The Branch COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT will be held after the conclusion of the General Meeting

LIFE MEMBERSHIP/MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARDS
Many of you will remember Doreen McDonald, John Hart, Jim Kane, Neil Renshaw and Len Brockwell (Retired Members’ Association), and the work and effort they put in on behalf of union members, for a long period.
At our Annual Meeting this year which takes place on Wednesday 25th June 2008 starting at 6PM, we will be honouring our comrades John, Jim and Len, and presenting them with their Life Membership or Meritorious Service awards. Doreen and Neil will receive their awards at a later date – Neil at the next North East Sub Branch meeting and Doreen on her return from overseas, we will advise you of the dates.
Please come along and support them and be part of the presentations and let them know you appreciate their efforts on your behalf. Look forward to seeing you there.
TELSTRA EBA SURVEY: WHAT YOU ARE TELLING US
Thank you to all those members who have returned their EBA Surveys.
We have been deluged with the results of the EBA Survey and as we publish Signal we are collating the figures for analysis. But keep them coming in, the more the better.
So what is a fair and realistic wages outcome according to our members?
The average response from online participants is for a 6.5% annual increase. The comments reveal that members feel left behind by the last EBA now that inflation and interest rates are on the rise. Many members point out that technicians have fallen behind tradesmen’s wages.
Interestingly, wages are not the primary concern – it’s the redundancy award. Members have a right to feel insecure about their future and so worried that they could be left high and dry once the Telstra Redundancy Award expires next year.
So, number one is redundancy, followed by wages.
The number three item is RDO/flexitime and the issues that surround leave and time off work.
There is also a very strong antipathy towards the current dispute resolution arrangements and performance assessment whilst very few members believe that their views are important to Telstra managers. Most believe that consultation is worthless.
We will bring you more results from the survey as they are analysed.
Contact the Branch 9349 4411 if you require a form or if you haven’t yet sent yours in please do so now!
TELSTRA EBA: PRELIMINARY TALKS CONTINUE
The CEPU and other Telstra unions are continuing their discussions with Telstra about the content of the next Telstra Enterprise Agreement.
Discussions so far have been of a very broad nature, with Telstra outlining what it sees to be the major issues facing the company as it moves through its “transformation” process.
For their part, the Telstra unions have been making their initial presentation to Telstra, laying out what they believe, on the basis of membership feedback, are the major issues of concern for Telstra staff.
Surveys of CEPU members have shown that preservation of existing entitlements, especially the Telstra Redundancy Agreement, and a solid pay rise are high on their list of priorities.
But they would also like to see an improvement in the whole workplace environment, with a move away from the petty harassment and the intrusive individual monitoring that has become the norm in the company in recent years.
The CEPU believe that this kind of “transformation” is just as necessary as any technological and commercial reshaping of the company if Telstra is to succeed into the future.
TELSTRA INTEGRATED LOGISTICS
The process of outsourcing Telstra’s Integrated Logistics functions continues as does the transfer of staff across to the new companies who are now supplying Telstra with these services.
The CEPU’s chief concern in this process has been to protect the rights and entitlements of employees, whether or not they choose to transfer across to IBM or to third party logistics companies such as CEVA.
Following representations from the union, Telstra has agreed to provide further information to employees affected by the devolving of work to these companies.
Employees have had to express interest in taking up work with CEVA. The CEPU have been strongly advising members who are contemplating a move to the new company to register an expression of interest but not sign up to any contract before the terms and conditions of employment being offered are fully understood.
Members should contact the branch for advice before making any binding commitments to the new company.
UNIONS CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST OFF-SHORING
A group of Australian service unions, including the CEPU, has called for federal government action to address the impacts of off-shoring on the Australian economy.
The unions, which cover employees in fields as diverse as finance, media and communications, aviation, tourism and business services, say that as many as 850,000 Australian service sector jobs face the chop as companies send their work off to countries with lower labour costs.
The unions identified the top six Australian companies which are leading the off-shore drive as being Qantas, Telstra, ANZ, NAB, Westpac and St George bank, all of whom have been involved in off-shoring work in data processing, IT and call centres.
A report prepared for the unions by the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research, says that one in ten service sector jobs could be sent offshore over the next 20 years.
The service sector is the cornerstone of the Australian economy, with other sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and mining either in decline or facing significant long-term challenges.
Unlike the pattern that has occurred in Australia’s manufacturing sector, these would not be the lower skilled jobs. As CEPU members well know, rapid changes in telecommunications technology over the last decade are making an ever-widening range of jobs vulnerable to off-shoring.
The report, ‘Off-shore and Off-work’ recommends root and branch overhaul of existing policies to address these trends.
It called for a staged intervention with the establishment of a Service Sector Task Force which would bring together trade, investment and industry policy. It also suggests that in the short term the recently announced review of the Australian tax system should consider new incentives to retain jobs in Australia.
The report also recommends:
- Country of origin legislation for services to match similar requirements for manufactured goods. Allowing consumers to make decisions on which service providers they chose to support based on where they would like their services delivered from.
- Free Trade Agreements to be re-examined to ensure level playing field for the service sector.
ASBESTOS LAWS STRENGTHENED
Asbestos victim, Bernie Banton, would not have received compensation for the mesothelioma that killed him if he had worked at James Hardie’s Victoria Brooklyn plant.
Up until now, Victoria has been the only mainland state that has not made legislative allowance for what are known as provisional damages. Provisional damages laws allow an injured person such as an asbestos victim to claim for a current injury (e.g. asbestosis) while still protecting his or her right to make a further claim if another related disease develops (e.g. mesothelioma).
Up to 5% of asbestos related disease (ARD) sufferers will develop a terminal condition and these people should have the right to compensation claims, irrespective of where they live in Australia.
Victoria has now moved to rectify this situation, following a strong campaign by unions, including the CEPU. The Victorian Government has agreed to legislative changes will mean that Victorian laws will be brought into line with those in other states.
This is an important victory for Victorian workers suffering from ARD as they will now be able to make further claims if they develop mesothelioma.
UNIONS OUTLINE THE CASE FOR CHANGE
– Bulletin 3 - Handout available for distribution, contact the Branch
This week Telstra unions met with Telstra Management to present your issues for the next agreement.
We stressed to Telstra Management that any new agreement must:
· deliver pay rises that keep up with inflation
· protect redundancy entitlements and other conditions
· resolve AWA transition issues
· build better workplace relations in Telstra.
Pay and productivity
Your union negotiators explained to Telstra that latest forecasts suggest an annual inflation rate of 4.6% and that the price of food and other household essentials rose by 12% in the last year.
We also made the point that Telstra employees are among the most productive in the world according to international ‘revenue per employee’ comparisons. Average Telstra employee productivity has risen by an average of 8.4% every year since 2003 (OECD).
We also pointed out the growing disparity between pay rises for Telstra’s top seven executives (30%) and the rest of Telstra workforce (2.5%).
Other issues discussed
Other matters unions raised based on your feedback included:
¡ retention of redundancy entitlements for all current and future employees, and retention of grandfathering provisions
¡ a fair transition from AWAs to the EAs and the capacity for AWA employees to move to the EA before their AWA expires
¡ hours of work, public holidays and rosters
¡ improved paternity and parental leave provisions
¡ processes to facilitate access to sick, family and annual leave
¡ a new, fair and objective performance management system
¡ access to independent conciliation and arbitration
A new relationship
With the assistance of the ACTU, unions proposed a ‘constructive relationship’ agreement to Telstra. Our aim is to move away from the hostile, legalistic approach which has characterised industrial relations in Telstra over the last decade.
Telstra faces significant challenges – we think the way to move forward is through Telstra, the unions and the ACTU, working with all staff for high performance and high paying jobs.
The proposal outlines the role of workplace representatives, the right to join and have access to union support, and consultation. We think it’s a good way forward – the ball is now in Telstra’s court!

LEN COOPER
Branch Secretary

Official Contact Nos:
LEN COOPER JOHN ELLERY WOODY SUE RILEY GREG CABANOS
Branch Secretary Assist Secretary First-In Call Taker CSO Call Centres CSO Contractors
M. 0438 389 302 M. 0419 823 580 M. 0425 762 720 M. 0439 762 455 M. 0415 154 352