
Issue No 59		23 June 2000

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Unions

Are You a Good Listener ?

Mark Hearn goes inside the Energy Australia call centre to find a workplace where there is a code for evrything - even trips to the toilet.


	MEU delegate Bill Papadopoulos with member Mariska Setionago

Energy Australia's Sydney call centre is a busy workplace. A workplace of controlled tensions. Staff - Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) - listen to customers. Managers listen to the staff. All the time. When a CSR wants to go to the toilet, he or she must tap in the relevant code on their computer. The toilet code.

The Sydney call centre employs about 100 staff. A new call centre in Newcastle now employs 150 operators and is set to grow. The work is stressful and staff turnover is relatively high. As CSR Bill Papadopoulos says, "customers don't ring unless they have a problem". Usually to query or dispute some aspect of their electricity account.

Bill Papadopoulos and Joe Agius are the MEU delegates at the call centre. They do their best to soothe the tensions. "We have a good relationship with management because of the high level of union membership", says MEU delegate Bill Papadopoulos. "We are very upfront about consultation with management, and dealing with small problems before they become big problems."

The CSRs each handle about 80 calls a day, and their performance is routinely monitored by supervisors. To ease the pressure of that scrutiny, the MEU has helped Bill and Joe negotiate a new Call Coaching Agreement. This means that the CSRs will be notified by management on the specific day - once a fortnight - when management listens in as part of an on-going training regime - although management can potentially tap in to a call at any time.

MEU Energy Manager Paul Marzato says the big issues for the call centre staff in the near future are job security, and maintenance of pay and conditions. "With the relocation of the Sydney Call Centre to Head Office in George St, some of the Sydney centre staff, rostered at different times, will share work stations (called hot-desking). The MEU will be working to ensure that these changes don't result in a loss of hours or wages for the CSRs."

Some people can cope with the stress better than others. Joe Agius thrives on it. He's worked in the call centre 14 years - that must be some kind of record - and he's ready for more. "Some stress is good for you", he says cheerfully.

Too much stress is not good for anybody. Joe stops smiling as he recalls when, a few years ago, the centre had too few staff to cope with the number of calls. When staff had to meet a target of 15 calls an hour, MEU action forced an end to the hourly targets.

As Paul Marzato says, "call centres are like pressure-cookers. While management focuses on the bottom line, the MEU has to focus on the people, making sure they are treated fairly, and with dignity. The CSR's are the human voice of Energy Australia. We want to help keep that a happy voice."

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  Issue 59 contents

Interview: Holding the Line
Diwan Shankar, Assistant National Secretary of the Fiji TUC, is in Australia to consolidate support for his members and plead for ongoing bans.

Technology: D-Day for VC?
NSW Labor Council secretary Michael Costa explains the motivations behind the new Get on Board computer-internet venture.

Legal: Knock, Knock - Who's There?
When the nine year old son of CFMEU construction division state secretary Andrew Ferguson recently responded to a Saturday door knock, it was neither a friend nor a Jehovah's Witness.

Unions: Are You a Good Listener ?
Mark Hearn goes inside the Energy Australia call centre to find a workplace where there is a code for evrything - even trips to the toilet.

International: Union Observers Barred from Zimbabwe Poll
Five observers from the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and 19 other South Africans aligned to Zimbabwe's Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice are among 233 observers barred by the Zimbabwean government from monitoring the parliamentary elections.

History: Community, Class, and Comparison
Despite its occasional romantic tendencies, new labour scholarship is mapping collective action within working class communities.

Satire: Rural Poor Return to Labor
Thrilled by the great new branding, the new Country Labor party has caused scenes of great rejoicing in the country.

Review: The Wicked Webs We Weave
LaborNet web-meastro Paul Howes trawls the web for some hot sites for all you political junkies.

» STOP PRESS: Get on Board Moves Virtual

» Orange at Risk - Call for City's Help

» Unions to Get Equity in New Computer Deal

» Aussie Competition Laws Protect Fijian Terrorists

» Union Rat Sinks Industrial Laws

» Olympic Rail Deal Struck for Games Period

» GST Fears for Union Delegates

» No Cigars for Casino High Rollers

» Frustration Boils Over Olympics Blowout

» Support for Campaign Against TAFE Cuts

» Private Sector Health Workers Seek Pay Equity

» Bosses Hoist on Own Petard

» Construction Industry Assists East Timor Training

» AFL-CIO Leader to Address Congress

» Full ACTU Congress Coverage on LaborNet

» The Soapbox

» The Locker Room

» Trades Hall

» Tool Shed

» Freudian Slip

» Volunteers in Policing

» Tax Farce

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