CPSU members vote with their feet against Telstra agreement
By Leo Wellin
"Is she with Telstra or the union?", was the innocent whisper during a workplace meeting at which the Community and Public Service Union (CPSU) telecommunications section secretary was busy selling management's final enterprise agreement offer. CPSU members at some workplaces have been asked to vote to endorse the agreement, supported by the union's leadership, in front of management at combined Telstra-CPSU presentations.
The enterprise agreement, still subject to an all-staff ballot beginning on December 1, will force 50,000 Telstra workers to accept significant trade-offs in working conditions in exchange for a 4% pay rise, and another 4% conditional on accepting two further work force "restructures".
The CPSU officials' endorsement of the agreement, after 18 months of negotiations and no serious campaign, has met widespread cynicism and anger from members. This has been expressed through mass resignations from the union and fiery outbursts.
One memo from a former call centre delegate reads: "I can't think of a single thing the CPSU has gained for workers in the last eight years (I've been here 12 years) in Telstra. In fact, I think we should all demand our damn money back, take them to court for breaching their own membership duties of protecting jobs and conditions — that's what we're in this for — not cheap bloody movie tickets."
A number of delegates have written to the CPSU national office requesting the voting results of recent work place meetings to endorse the agreement. The telecommunications secretary has refused to disclose the extremely poor turnout across the country.
Another memo from a CPSU member shed some light on the state of the union: "[In the area] where I work, which consists of about 140 people, there were two votes for and two votes against. I think that level of interest speaks volumes about the contempt here for the union. [The area] where I used to work, and was a delegate, has been closed down and now consists of 140 casuals ... If there are any union members there at all, if would only be the manager. He could be delegate and have his own union meetings and combined delegates committees all by himself."
A special video featuring senior management has been screened in an effort to convince Telstra staff to vote for the enterprise agreement in the December ballot.
A room full of call centre staff erupted in laughter as a Telstra executive justified the 4% pay offer against $3 billion profits by saying, "Employees, as shareholders, would be disappointed if we went around giving large pay rises".
In the lunch room banter afterwards, staff mocked managers for their sombre deliveries by nominating the "most wooden performance in a corporate video".
One staff member commented sarcastically that management did a better job in the "Telstra Care Video", on occupational health and safety, in which the words "productivity, performance and profitability" are mentioned 36 times in the first 10 minutes.