Telstra EA offer to proceed to employee vote
The Union has continued to engage in bargaining with Telstra whilst entering into a consultation process with members over Telstra’s latest offer.
In brief, Telstra’s proposal currently contains the following:
- A rollover of all existing terms and conditions.
- Clause 47 remains and will protect all existing conditions, for life, following a transfer of business to one of the planned subsidiaries. These provisions will now be found in Clause 50.
- Options for an employee (not management) to propose flexible shift arrangements, including split shifts and preferred hours arrangement
- Telstra has proposed a wage rise of 2.5% payable in October 2022, and 3% payable in October 2023. As with previous years, for Workstream employees each pay increase is a guaranteed flat increase to Fixed Remuneration. For Job Family employees this is a guaranteed Fixed Remuneration pool which is then distributed based on their individual performance rating and position in the pay range. Fone Zone employees who become Telstra employees prior to 1 October 2022 will receive a performance rating of no less than a rating ‘3’ for the 1 July 2021 – 30 June 2022 performance year.
- The increases would also apply to superannuation and all allowances payable under the Agreement.
- Superannuation contributions will be paid during periods of paid and unpaid parental leave.
Furthermore, the government superannuation guarantee is scheduled to increase from 10% to 10.5% in July 2022 and to 11% in July 2023.
Assuming this increase proceeds, Telstra intends to increase base pay rates by 0.5% - providing a net increase in wages of 3% for the 2022 financial year and then a further 0.5% - providing a net increase in wages of 3.5% for the 2023 financial year.
Inflation forecasts have been completely blown out following the end of the Delta COVID wave and the conflict in Ukraine has now further added to inflationary pressures. And whilst many other companies within our industries have agreed to our claims for a CPI guarantee for wage increases, Telstra has continued to refuse to make the same commitment.
The Union has however now secured commitments from Telstra to a classification review of the CFW banding structure, to revert to a single EBA if the planned restructure does not proceed and to not proceed with their original proposal to reduce Sunday penalty rates for retail employees.
Telstra intends to proceed with an employee vote on all four EAs. The access period will commence on 7 April and voting by secret ballot via CorpVote will open on 14 April. Voting on the Retail EA will close at 4pm AEST on 22 April and voting on the Amplitel, InfraCo Field and Telstra Limited EAs will close at 4pm AEST on 27 April.
Member poll results
Telstra recently indicated its intentions to cease bargaining and proceed with an employee vote on their offer. The Union held a number of consultative meetings with members across the country to explain the latest draft and followed up with a poll of members. The poll asked members how they wished for the Union to respond to Telstra’s position. The result of that poll is as follows:
- Reject the draft and advocate a ‘NO’ vote in the event that Telstra proceeds to a vote of employees without the Union’s agreement, in principle 23.5%
- Agree to the draft in principle, to allow the offer to proceed to a vote of employees 76.5%
On the basis of this majority decision by members, the Union will not advocate a NO vote in the upcoming ballot.
