
Issue No 72		06 October 2000

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Letters to the Editor

Union Official Nominates For Telstra Board

Len Cooper has announced his nomination for a position as director on the board of giant Australian telecommunications company Telstra. As well as nominating for a position as director, Mr. Cooper intends to raise a series of issues that the national union (CEPU) want addressed on behalf of their members that work for the carrier as a matter of urgency. These include proposing a substantial reduction in the remuneration for directors and executive managers in light of the companies disastrous market performance. Mr. Cooper commented recently 'the reduction should be adequate enough to reflect the austerity measures being driven throughout the company, expressed notably in the dramatic loss of Telstra jobs, and to reflect the poor assessment of company performance by the market as demonstrated in the downward direction of the [Telstra] share price.'

At the 1999 Telstra Annual General Meeting the board voted themselves a 50% increase in remuneration citing the companies overall good performance as justification for the increase. At that meeting Mr. Cooper commented on the ease directors had in awarding themselves a 50% pairs when the telco. had dragged on negotiations with the CEPU for over two years when negotiating a new enterprise agreement for Telstra workers. The cashed up carrier haggled over a 4% per year increase for it's workers and close to two thirds of the workforce did not get the second years 4% increase after voting down 'second tier' agreements that would have further eroded salaries and conditions. Mr. Cooper has proposed to the board that director fees and executive remuneration should be set in line with performance requirements, exactly the same as those imposed on Telstra workers. These requirements to be set and reviewed by a shareholder committee in consultation with the board.

The 1999 increase of fifty percent to the Telstra directors angered the majority of Telstra workers who have endured several years of an extremely aggressive industrial relations style introduced by former Rio Tinto/Comalco ER 'experts' Robert Cartwright and Justin O'Connell. Their crude approach to workers involves dragging out EBA negotiations, attempting to bypass the representative unions, and presenting the same agreements from year to year without change in the hope of wearing down the morale and the financial resources of the unions and the workers, many having no choice but to accept an individual contract (AWA) in order to secure a much needed pay rise, but trading away job security and hard won conditions. This strategy was first tried at CRA's bauxite mine at Weipa in Queensland and then extended to other CRA mining sites in the mid 1990's. In the meantime the board and executive management enjoy obscene salaries and perks that the average Australian worker could only dream about.

Mr. Cooper points out that the carrier is in an extremely precarious position at the moment. The share price has been on a downward slide since November 1999, with a short-lived recovery in the share price in May 2000. Telstra workers defeated all of the workforce agreements that followed the signing on the 1998/2000 EBA which was designed to divide the workforce and prevent a united industrial response in the upcoming negotiations for Telstra EBA 2000, which some Telstra workers have dubbed 'Payback 2000.' On top of this financial analysts are highly critical of the carriers attempts to expand into Asia through the PCCW deal and the carrier has clocked up a number of other failed acquisitions and mergers. Speculation is now rife that the employment of CEO Ziggy Switkowski, Chairman Mansfield and their minions, like that of thousands of Telstra workers, is looking decidedly shaky. The Federal Government alarmed by the 'management' at the carrier and their unique ability to generally underperform and make the majority shareholder look ridiculous, have nominated three potential new directors, bringing the total field of potential new directors to eight.

As well as being the Secretary of the Victorian Division of the largest union in Telstra. Len Cooper is a Director of EPIC (Victorian Electrical, Printing, Information and Communications State Training Advisory Board). He trained in Telstra, and worked as a Technician, Technical Officer and Technical Instructor and has been associated with Telstra and telecommunications for his entire working life. Mr. Cooper actively assists the Telstra Shareholders Organisation (SHOT). Mr. Cooper is also a director of a job placement agency (Organised Personnel Placement) and director of a training company (Infocall.Com) both specialising in the telecommunications and information industries.

Mr. Cooper is calling for both small and institutional shareholders to support his nomination for a position on the board to provide some desperately needed balance, and representation of interests other than those of big business, true 'shareholder democracy'.

Valerie-Ann Butler

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Issue 72 contents

Interview: Taking It To The Union Busters
ACTU Assistant Secretary Richard Marles talks to Workers Online about turning back the anti-union sentiment growing in the business community, responsible unionism and the sense of fun to be found at the ACTU.

International: The White Knights
The International Labour Organisation has become the great hope for those fighting to give globalisation a human face. Australian Bob Kyloh is one of those working with trade unions within the ILO to make it happen.

Politics: Industrial Democracy for Australia
Glenn Patmore argues we need new forms of employee representation in the workplace to broaden employee participation.

Unions: Behind The Scenes
In a small office at Homebush Bay, as the world focused on all that was positive about our games, Unions 2000 and SOCOG officials worked tirelessly to ensure that no worker was ripped off. Chris Christoudoulou reports.

Satire: Parade of Icons �Could Have Included Even More Ex-Aussies� Say Critics
The selection of Greg Norman, Paul Hogan and Elle Macpherson to represent Australia in the �Parade of Icons� during the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney Games last night has prompted a storm of complaints from other famous former Australians.

Review: Elliott Smiths Figure 8
Smith is basically the secret love child of the fab four and it�s so blatantly obvious. That�s not a bad thing because one thing Lennon and McCartney were reknown for was there ability to pen catchy tunes.

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