Field Service Delivery: voluntary redundancies a priority
Telstra has notified its intention of proceeding with the redundancies in Field Service Delivery as part of the larger reorganisation in Network Operations (and other areas of the company) flagged in mid-June.
While the CWU doesn’t want to see any jobs going from Telstra, it recognises that these redundancies arise, at least in part, from the NBN roll-out which is now well advanced, particularly in rural and regional areas.
For this reason much of our consultation with Telstra has focussed on how to mitigate the impact of the redundancies, both through retraining and redeployment and through ensuring that wherever possible redundancy is voluntary.
We have urged Telstra to make full use of this option rather than using a management selection process that can result in Telstra holding on to employees who want to go while shedding those who want to stay.
At the same time, we have sought further information from Telstra about such matters as the extent of the use of contractors and the changes in volumes of work in the areas where FSD redundancies are planned.
The fact is that the impacts of the NBN on Telstra field staff will vary from one area to another, both now and in the future, depending on the pace and location of the build and whether or not Telstra has NBN contracts in particular areas. Headline numbers of predicted overall declines in work don’t necessarily tell the real story at local level.
The CWU has been pursuing these issues so that we are better able to engage Telstra on specific redundancies. Discussions at this level are ongoing.
