CEPU MEDIA RELEASE 20/02/2010
Telstra workers will vote on whether to take further protracted strike action tomorrow in their ongoing industrial campaign to secure a new enterprise agreement. This action will follow up from previous industrial action last week which was withdrawn after a three day stoppage due to a technical issue with notices supplied to Telstra. The Technical issues around notices have been resolved through Fair Work Australia and Telstra have been notified of potential industrial action beginning this week. CEPU members employed by Telstra’s construction division will rally outside the Telstra Head Office in Stirling St Perth at 4.30-5.00pm Tues the 23rd to vote on further industrial action. Members are expected to vote to undertake further stoppages that will halt all construction projects across Western Australia until a fair agreement is reached. The stoppages will bring to a halt already delayed projects due to action taken by WA Telstra workers prior to Christmas. The action will stop all mobile, wideband (Optic Fibre), data expansion and halt Telstra’s own transformation to ethernet platform across the state of Western Australia. The stoppages will cause major financial and logistical problems for Telstra. Corporate customers in the mining, oil & gas and community sector particularly in the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Kimberley regions can expect delays to key projects.
CEPU Organiser John O’Donnell says: “members have grown tired of 18 months of on and off again negotiations with one of Australia’s largest employers. Telstra’s refuses to match the pay offer granted to non union employees prior to the introduction of the Fair Work Act. Telstra is offering the CEPU’s 7000+ members across Australia 10% over three years with no back pay and an insulting 2.5% bonus non salary affecting one off payment calculated from members current salary.” In real terms the CEPU members working in the same or similar roles as non union staff at the lower end of the pay scales are already approximately $14,000.00pa behind the non union employees, Telstra have continuously blamed the global financial crisis for not treating union members equally. “This is blatant discrimination against workers who choose to be union members said O’Donnell.”
John O’Donnell further stated that “Telstra should apply their energies to rehabilitating its terrible reputation for customer service and the declining share price, rather than continuing this pointless dispute. Telstra cannot fix these issues without us”
John O’Donnell
Branch Organiser
CWU Perth Branch
196 Lord St Perth WA 6000
0892279911 Mob 0417873654 johncwu@iinet.net.au
