Telstra member poll: we want your urgent feedback
Bargaining has continued with Telstra, where your CWU bargaining representatives have been successful in protecting the EBA’s key minimum engagement provisions.
Under the guise of greater flexibility, Telstra has tabled claims which sought to reduce the current guaranteed minimum of 2 hours for casuals, 3 hours for part-time and 6 hours for full time employees. We argued that doing so would undermine financial stability for employees and create an unnecessary job insecurity crisis – creating unnecessary stress amongst employees and their families.
Telstra had also sought to introduce split shift arrangements across its retail workforce – threatening to disrupt employees’ rest and recreation. Split shift scenarios often lead to fatigue and irregular work patterns associated with split shifts have been proven to interfere with general health and wellbeing, along with creating uncertainty in an employees’ ability to meet their personal and family commitments outside of normal working hours.
Following strenuous, Telstra has agreed to remove both these claims from forming part of any proposed EBA outcome.
However, it is becoming more likely that Telstra will imminently seek to wrap up talks and ask employees to vote on their current proposal.
In summary, in addition to the above, we have secured the following outcomes as part of this round of bargaining:
- Protection of all current EBA conditions;
- Increasing the Retail relocation allowance from $21.92 to $30;
- Essential customer service allowance increased by 25% for the first year, then in line with ongoing pay increases;
- Workstream wage outcomes consisting of 4% in year one, 3.5% year two, 3% year three; and
- Job Family wage outcomes consisting of the above movements being allocated to a pay pool, with guaranteed minimums of 3% year one, 2.5% year two and 2% year three for those who achieve a performance rating of 3.
Your feedback through this process will assist in informing your bargaining team’s position should Telstra choose to move sooner, rather than later.
In the meantime, member Zoom meetings will be organised over the coming days, where National President Shane Murphy will take members through a quick wrap up of the EBA outcomes achieved so far.
In the meantime, if you require any further information, please contact your Branch Official.
