
Issue No 40		19 November 1999

News

Telstra's Greed Puts Service at Risk

By Dermott Brown

Telstra unions have accused senior management of double standards following the company's decision to impose a new agreement on its Customer Contact Workforce.

The agreement will 'freeze' some employees pay, remove pay increments and reduce the salary range for the job by $10,000 per annum.

Staff are concerned that this agreement is being pushed on them at the same timec as Telstra board members have been granted a 53% pay increase.

Wendy Caird, National Secretary of the CPSU, said "If Telstra is committed to providing first class customer service, it must attract and keep its high quality frontline staff. By reducing the value of the work these people do, Telstra is sending the wrong message to its staff, its customer and its shareholders."

The union points out that in justifying the recent increase for Telstra board members, Communications Minister, Richard Alston said "When you are talking about the largest company in Australia you expect it to pay world's best rates if it is to attract top quality people."

"Surely this same rule should apply to those staff who actually deal with customers day in, day out." Caird says.

"The community has a right to expect professional customer service from Australia's biggest company and Telstra has an obligation to provide it. By downgrading this work they are short-changing the community."

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  Issue 40 contents

Interview: No Quick Fix
Online pioneer Marc Belanger explains why the Internet, on its own, will not save the union movement.

Unions: Organising With A Mission
Entries are beginning to trickle in for the Labor Council Organiser of the Year. With just two weeks to deadline, we look at the TWU's nominee.

History: Rhyme and Reason
Poems written by workers provide us with an insight into their experiences and also how they felt about their work and working conditions.

Health: The Food Police
Three times a day you take your life in your hands. How? When you sit down to eat a meal.

Politics: East Timor: Defeat or Victory for the Left?
John Passant's "Requiem for the Left" advances some rather extravagant charges regarding the left and East Timor.

International: Kiwi Unions Rebuild from Ground Up
After fifteen years as a right wing laboratory New Zealand is about to change tack. New NZCTU chief Paul Goulter outlines the challenge ahead.

Satire: Australian Democrats Revealed as Student Hoax
The Chaser has obtained an exclusive background report on the extraordinary story which reveals how and why Cheryl Kernot defected from the Democrats.

Review: The Best of the Best
Once again Channel Nine has out done itself with it�s new Ray Martin program �Simply the Best�.

Labour Review: What's New at the Information Centre
View the latest issue of Labour review, our resource for officials and students.

Deface a Face: 25,000 Teachers Can�t Be Wrong!
Angry teachers yesterday voted overwhelmingly for Education minister John Aquilina to take the mantle of this week�s face to deface.

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» Round One to the Cleaners

» Telstra's Greed Puts Service at Risk

» Tragic Death Leads to Lift in Contractor Safety Standards

» Oldfield in the Pub