TPG Telecom Group is proposing to slash your pay
As you may be aware, your Union, the CEPU, is currently engaged in bargaining with TPG Telecom for a new Enterprise Agreement (EA).
The EA is the document which sets the pay, terms and conditions of your employment and is renegotiated every few years.
During this round of bargaining, it seems that TPG have made up their minds on what they want to see the EA look like, and are disregarding the claims of workers and looking to slash your pay – putting you and your families further behind.
TPG’s latest draft of the agreement presented to the workers’ bargaining team contains the following:
- Proposed pay increases of only 2% to the base rates of pay contained within the EA
Not only does this translate to a pay cut in real terms, it only increases the base rate of pay.
If you are on a salary higher than the base rate set by the EA, you will receive no increase at all – putting you and your family even further behind.
- No increase to redundancy payments
TPG’s redundancy benefits are already some of the lowest across our industry. TPG refuses to entertain workers’ claims for a fairer, market comparable redundancy benefit.
- An increase to the span of ‘ordinary hours’
TPG are attempting to expand the window of ordinary hours of duty. This means penalty rates will no longer be payable if any part of your shift falls within the hours of 7am-11pm Monday to Friday, 7am-7pm Saturday or 9am-6pm Sunday – further reducing your take-home pay.
- Reduction to overtime rates
TPG is trying to cut your pay even further. Under TPG’s proposal, overtime rates would be reduced to 130% of the base rate of pay (not your actual pay level) for the first two hours, and then 175% for any hours worked after that.
The workers’ bargaining team is seeking for overtime rates to be in-line with industry standards – 150% of actual pay for the first three hours, then 200% for any hours worked after that. On Sundays, 200% and on public holidays, 250%.
- Ability to stand you down, without pay, for any reason they have no control over.
TPG are proposing a clause in the EA which would allow them to stand you down, without pay, due to reasons such as a power outage.
The cost of everything is increasing – groceries, petrol, clothing. TPG have profited healthily throughout the pandemic – there is no justification to slash workers’ pay, as our economy rebounds out of the COVID slump.
The Union is continuing to engage in bargaining in an attempt to alter TPG’s views. In the meantime, if you or your colleagues are not yet members of the Union – now is the time to join.
We can only deliver the outcomes workers and their families deserve by sticking together. Join the Union now by heading over to www.cwu.org.au and clicking “join us”.
We urge all members to keep a look out for future bulletins and meeting invitations to ensure you receive the most up to date information as negotiations progress.
