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Issue No. 206 | 05 December 2003 |
A New Mark for Labor
Interview: Muscling Up Unions: Thinking Pink Bad Boss: Global Bully Unions: National Focus Economics: Friend or Flunkey? History: Young Blood Industrial: Living For Work? International: Fighting Together Poetry: Medicare Plus Blues Review: Human Racing
Contractors Hang Up on Telstra Uni Workers Too Smart For Minister Employer Bullies Vie For �Tony� South Coast Deal to Build Movement TeleTech Safety Rep Vows to Fight On Corporates Urged to Come Clean Engineers Ground Safety System
The Soapbox The Locker Room Politics Parliament
Bob Gould On Kicking The Liberals Out
Labor Council of NSW |
News Contractors Hang Up on Telstra
Hundreds of Foxtel and broadband installation technicians have flocked to join the CEPU (Communications, Elecrical and Plumbing Union) since Telstra signed cut-rate installation deals with contractors, Siemens-Theiss and ABB. They have refused to sign on with the new contractors, effectively striking for the past week in Sydney and Melbourne, where around 90 contractors today used their vehicles to blockade Telstra's headquarters. "Five years ago, Foxtel installers got around $300 for each installation, under the new proposal that figure would be $177," CEPU official Shane Murphy said, "that's a cut of almost 50 percent over that period. "At the end of the day, it is typical Telstra, that's the way they operate, slashing the earnings of ordinary Australians in all parts of their workforce to ensure ever-increasing profits. "In this instance, it negotiated with five different contracting companies. It had them in four or five times and finally locked in the two that would deliver another 20 percent cut in these workers' incomes. "It's a ridiculous way of running Australia's largest business and it has to stop. In the meantime, individual contractors are flocking to join the union. We are well on our way to becoming the industry union again, covering not only employees of the carriers but sub-contractors as well." Telstra, which has just signed a new four-year agreement with its chief executive that includes possible bonuses of $7 million a year, has used every device placed at its disposal by Federal workplace relations laws to slash worker incomes. It was Australia's largest company that dialled up TeleTech to run call centres that would slash operator incomes by more than $6000 a year. It contracted regional call centres in places like Wollongong to Stellar who paid workers around $10,000 a year less than they would have earned on existing negotiated agreements. Both Stellar and the US giant TeleTech used non-negotiable AWAs to force employees onto the lower rates, and ran aggressive campaigns to try and keep unions out of their workplaces. Both refused to recognised trade unions even after staff had joined up and asked them to represent their interests.
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