
Issue No 88		16 March 2001

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News

Call Centre Code Picks Up Speed

The drive to establish meaningful standards for the call center industry has had a major boost, with two more state governments supporting the code and a major private sector employer agreeing to a ground-breaking collective agreement.

The double breakthrough adds momentum to the push to have the ACTU's Call Centre Code of Conduct adopted across the burgeoning industry.

The Gallap Western Australian state government became the first administration to formally accept the code and charter, with WA Labour Relations Minister John Kobelke poised to take the agreement to Cabinet.

Once adopted, call centers providing services to the state government will be expected to comply with the code, which will also be taken into account when allocating investment assistance and contracts..

And NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca says "the NSW Government supports the general concepts and principals contained in these proposals as a means to ensure minimum standards in this growing industry."

He has proposed establishing a Working Party of union and government representatives to review the Code and examine its potential application.

The breakthrough follows a meeting with NSW Labor Council acting secretary John Robertson this week where the Minister's office was briefed on the need for the code.

Workers Slay Giant

Menawhile, International call centre giant Sitel, has a reached an agreement with the Australian Services Union on an enterprise agreement covering their 300 seat call centre in Sydney.

Sitel is an outsourcing call centre that performs customer service for a wide range of Australian and international companies.

The agreement enhances Sitel's drive to be an "employer of choice" in the competitive call centre industry where the labour market is tight with employees voting with their feet when pay and conditions do not measuring up to the expectations of the job.

Sitel and the ASU have negotiated an agreement that sets pay levels well above the industry average, extends breaks, introduces penalty rates, overtime and other standard benefits for an industry that does not yet have an Award.

"The aim of the agreement is to ensure staff are happy with their employment conditions. Sitel saves money through reducing employee turnover and, it makes them even more competitive by attracting the best call centre staff in Sydney" ASU organizer Sally McManus says.

"Our members are very happy with the agreement with 80% of employees voting in it's favour. Sitel has taken a different approach to many employers in the industry who have been unwilling to negotiate fair employment conditions with the ASU and have instead opted for individual contracts. These employers will continue to suffer through high employee turnover and frustration from employees who feel they do not have an effective means to voice their issues".

The ASU is negotiating with other major call centres across Australia on the same basis. Many call centre managers respect the desire of their staff to have a collective and an informed voice through the ASU.

Employers who continue to ignore their staff's concerns will continue to suffer high turnover costs, "Don't underestimate word of mouth. Call centre employees quickly work out who's good to work for and who to avoid", McManus says.

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  Issue 88 contents

Interview: Labor Law
Shadow Attorney General Robert McClelland outlines his plans for workers entitlements, legal aid and a Bill of Rights

Unions: Poetic Justice
The ACTU kicked off its 2001 Living Wage campaign this week with a new shock tactic: poetry.

Technology: Big Brother�s Legacy
Organisations with restrictive staff email polices risk locking themselves in the Industrial Age by treating their staff as units to be monitored.

Corporate: Scumbags Exposed
On the eve of the inaugural Corporate Scumbags Tour, we look at the worst of the worst from the Top End of Town.

International: Playing Away
Pat Ranald looks at a proposal to hold Australian companies to basic standards when they invest in developing countries.

Environment: Nuclear Titanics
The Maritime Union has joined Greenpeace in a campaign to stop our seas becoming a nuclear highway.

History: Out of the Bog
Neale Towart looks at the life of big Jim Larkin, one of the heroes of an Irish trade union movement that continues to thrive.

Politics: Westie�s Macquarie Street Alert
The Workers MLC, Ian West, provides the first in a series of regular rundowns on the upcoming Parliamentary session

Review: The Next American Century?
How will the United States maintain its global power in an era when the very notion of the nation-state is under challenge?

Satire: Dollar Crashes Through Psychological 0.00c Barrier
The bedevilled Australian dollar dropped below the crucial 0.00c barrier losing its battle to avoid the humiliation of being worth less than the commemorative Bradman coins distributed by the Sunday Telegraph last weekend.

» Directors Face Criminal Charges Over Super Scam

» Call Centre Code Picks Up Speed

» Staff Demand Action as Jobless Number Grows

» Lifeguards to Down Togs Over Sweaty Speedo Scam

» Hotel Workers Refuse to Raise Sweat

» Blood on the Beds at Sleep City

» Paint Lock-Out Claims First Victim

» Casino Workers Seek Full Metal Jacket

» Leichhardt Council Endangers the Public

» Casual Teachers Break Through

» Tide Turns on Award-Stripping

» Workers Demand Seat on Racing Board

» Shangri-La Faces D-Day

» Fiji PM Appointment Illegal

» Activists Notebook