|
Issue No. 195 | 12 September 2003 |
Coalition of the Swilling
Interview: Crowded Lives Activists: Life With Brian Industrial: National Focus Unions: If These Walls Could Talk Economics: Beating the Bastards Media: Three Corners History: The Brisbane Line Trade: The Dumping Problem Review: Frankie's Way
Teachers Attack National Stitch-Up Five Grand Extra for Unionists Telstra Gets Curry for Take Aways This Is Your Operator Freaking Millionaire Takes Candy from Carers Grass Roots Campaign Beats Bush Unions-Council Strike �Clean Hands� Partnership Call For Campaign To Save Bush Trains
The Soapbox The Locker Room Housing Politics Postcard
Labor Council of NSW |
News This Is Your Operator Freaking
"They'd be better off at McDonalds," says CEPU state secretary Len Cooper, of members dealing with traumatic situations on shifts of up to 12 hours that attract no penalty rates. Their employer Emergency Communications Victoria is crying poor - leaving emergency call centre staff angry that conditions at ECV, formerly known as Integraph, have not improved significantly since the days of Jeff Kennett. Integraph, one of Jeff Kennett's privatisation disasters, was a controversial operator of the 000 service. When the Bracks' government was elected the operator was brought back into the public sector and re-named amidst promises that working conditions would be brought up to community standards. "They're often beaten around emotionally," says Cooper. "They are so short staffed on weekends and nights that there is a problem in their capacity to serve the emergency services." Workers often have to undergo counselling because of the traumatic nature of the work and the long hours are having a big toll on the call centre workers, with short staffing leading to extended periods of overtime. This overtime attracts no penalty rates on top of what is already a low wage. An interim EBA offered some increase in wages with a promise of shift penalties. The call centre workers have received support from the Victorian Emergency Services and Industrial Relations Ministers but the Victorian treasury has demanded that any increases in workers pay and conditions be met out of existing budgets. ECV are now claiming an incapacity to pay for any improvements. With ECV offering penalty rates of $1.50 an hour the call centre workers are looking to take industrial action in support of a better penalty rate regime and a whole new set of working conditions. ECV has flagged job cuts at the already understaffed operation - threatening to wipe out 70 positions in a workforce of 280 - a situation that Cooper says would "cripple" the 000 service. "With everyone crying crocodile tears over terrorism there is a real question mark over the capacity of this service to deliver," says Cooper.
|
Search All Issues | Latest Issue | Previous Issues | Print Latest Issue |
© 1999-2002 Workers Online |
|