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| Issue No 95 |  |
11 May 2001 |
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NewsPrimus Suspect? Unions Seek Answers
The ACTU's preferred telecommunications supplier has been accused of anti-union practices, including refusing officials access to their workplace. Primus Telecommunications is currently offering unions discount services through ACTU's Member Connect, which organised a Sydney briefing to discuss the offer this week. Two separate division of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union have written to Labor Council raising concerns about the proposed partnership. Ian McCarthy from the CEPU's Telecommunications and Services branch says his unions had been in dispute with Primus over the sacking of staff in Melbourne. McCarthy says that while Primus reluctantly coughed up a termination payment for staff, since that time management have blocked every move by the CEPU to organise the Melbourne call center. "Given the amount of business that Primus enjoys through it involvement with the Australian union movement, we believe that any expansion of our relationship should be place don hold until industrial issues, such as right of access for union officials, are resolved. "It seems Primus is quite prepared to accept our money but our presence in their workplace is unwanted." And Jim Metcher from the Postal and Telecommunications branch says Primus is "an anti-union telecommunications provider." "The CEPU finds it quite disturbing that the ACTU is initiating and promoting such an arrangement to have Unions sign up with the Primus discounted telephone services, a company who have no award or certified agreement that provide industry standards for Primus employees," Metcher says. But Mal Larsen from the Community and Public Sector Union says after a slow start, the company had agreed to make an enterprise agreement with the CPSU. Larsen also says Primus is one company that is not resisting an industry-wide award. "While the union has encountered a lot of resistance from many of the employers in the industry, we are pleased to say that Primus is amongst the group of companies who are not opposing then making of an award," he says. The Labor Council has referred the Primus issue to a meeting of interested affiliates. Meanwhile, ACTU has requested that Primus meet a number of conditions relating to industrial arrangements including: - a comittment to negotiate a collective agreement with unions - a comittment to support the callcentral code of conduct for call centres - a comittment to provide organising rights to unions operating in Primus In addition the ACTU indicated to Primus and the unions that if union coverage issues are involved these will be resolved by the ACTU. Secretary greg Combet says he firmly believes Primus will meet these requirements.
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   Interview: Geek GuysTwo of the union movement�s pioneers in new technology, Peter Ross and Mark McGrath, chew the fat about wired unionism and virtual politics. Compo: Costa�s Angels Behind the spotlight of the workers comp campaign four women trade union officials have been burning the midnight oil to protect injured workers. Legal: View from the BenchCompensation Court judge and former Attorney-General, Frank Walker, argues the Della Bosca workers comp reforms are a threat to judicial independence. International: Timor: Time for the TruthHT Lee was in Dili when the militas ran rampage. Now he wants the truth to come out. History: True BelieversFrank Bongiorno looks at the origins of the Australian Labor Party, which celebrated its centenary of Caucus this week. Corporate: Trust Me, I�m a Multi-National!BHP unions have united across the factions to urge �No� vote on the planned Billiton merger. Unions: AWAs � A Doomed Future?ACTU Assistant Secretary Richard Marles plays clairvoyant and predicts a dismal future for AWAs. Satire: Bush Defends One China Policy - Then Another China Policy, Then Another ....President Bush today announced a major change to the United States� policy of �strategic ambiguity� towards the status of Taiwan and its One China policy. Review: Surviving SurvivorWorkers Online's Reality TV correspondent Mark Morey rakes over the coals of the Survivor II result.
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