Restructure may mean multiple Enterprise Agreements
The Union is engaging with Telstra in preparation for the next round of bargaining for a replacement to the current Telstra Enterprise Agreement 2019 -2021.
In discussions this week, Telstra has made known its intention to seek a separate Enterprise Agreement for each of its proposed subsidiaries – ServeCo, InfraCo Fixed, InfraCo Towers and Retail – all of which are expected to be created through the corporate restructure taking place this year. The number of agreements that will operate across the four subsidiaries is a question of scope and the Union has indicated our preference is for one agreement to cover all.
A final decision hasn’t been made on this, and further updates will be provided as the matter progresses.
In terms of the protections under the current Agreement, Clause 47 would ensure that employees who transition from Telstra to those subsidiaries would be guaranteed pay and terms of employment, including redundancy and superannuation benefits, no less than those afforded to them under the current Telstra EBA.
However, it is still critically important to ensure that any new Agreements contain those terms and conditions – particularly in relation to future bargaining.
The exercise of mapping of employees to the relevant subsidiary is likely to be completed by the end of this month and once this is complete, bargaining for a new Agreement/s will begin.
In terms of the Telstra Award – the industrial instrument which forms the safety net minimums that our Agreements are bargained on – Telstra has flagged their desire to introduce additional flexibility arrangements for employees. Particularly, Telstra has proposed the ability for members to nominate working days and hours that suit them, along with the addition of new job classifications in preparation for future models.
Not too much detail has been proposed at this stage, and we are waiting for further information from Telstra about exactly what is being proposed before we can form an opinion on these matters – which we will share with you once received.
No decisions have been made on the above matters, and we will keep members updated as soon as further detail is available.
In the meantime, if you require any further information, please contact your State Branch Official.
