OUR BRANCH - TELSTRA SURVEY

We thank members who rapidly replied to our informal survey of Branch members. We received just over 100 responses within 24 hours. Here the headline results:
Q1. Just over 80% voted to reject the pay rise of 4%, 3.5%, 3%
Q1. About 10% voted to accept the above. (some with qualifications)
Q1. The rest were unclear as they raised other issues.
Q2. The minimum (for 3 years) was 12% but most landed closer to 15%, with most up front.
Q3. Job Family guarantee: These were in line with Q1 and not all replies were from Job Family.
Q4. Most sought (at least) the full pay rise for ME Rating 3
Q5. Seeking comments: Many added comments and other issues. We will not respond to any survey email as we promised to delete the responses for confidentiality reasons. We will capture the comments separately and deal with them.

TELSTRA - WHY THE RUSH?

The current EBA has a nominal expiry date of 30 Sept 2024. The new pay rises are scheduled to commence on 1 Oct 2024. Why the rush?
Discussions with Telstra are set to resume on Monday, 17 June, focussing on the Union's opposition to Telstra's proposal to introduce split shifts for retail employees and to remove minimum engagement periods in any new Agreement.

JOB FAMILY - TELSTRA UPGRADE OFFER

We have been highlighting the illogical policy that staff meeting expectations (Rating 3), that is performing their job completely, are not guaranteed the full pay rises. Last week Telstra said that they could guarantee a minimum of 3% for one year, UP FROM 1%!.
We did not accept that. Telstra called a special meeting last Friday and amended the offer
Telstra's offer now consists of the following guaranteed minimum wage increases, for Job Family employees who achieve a performance rating of 3 or above: 3% in year one; 2.5% in year two; and 2% in year three.
Again we ask - if you are doing your job, why not guarantee the full pay rise?
Remember, if you do not get 4% this year, you may never catch up.

SUE RILEY RETIRES

Our long term employee and official, Sue Riley, has advised of her retirement from 1 July 2024. Sue has been a member for over 24 years and has held many positions including as Branch Secretary. More recently Sue has spent most of her time with the long TZV EBA negotiations. The Branch Committee of Management has thanked Sue for her significant contribution to the Branch and to the union movement.

TZV EBA - LATE NEWS

On Friday, TZV agreed to the last claims from the SBU. We should be able to provide the usual joint Bulletin later today. It will have the detailed material.

NBN JOB DELEGATE

With our increased membership in NBN, we are seeking a representative (job delegate) for NBN members. Do you wish to assist or nominate someone? The role at its minimum is to provide a contact point between members and our industrial staff. Ideally we would like a delegate in NSW and Vic. Pease email or call me if you are interested.

ACTU SEEKS WAGE JUSTICE FOR YOUNG WORKERS

Junior workers are often paid a percentage of the relevant adult pay rate under awards. The discriminatory rates represent massive pay cuts for young people struggling with the cost of living.
Unions will call for the abolition of the very low junior rates for apprentices. These training wages are low enough and should not go any lower. Governments also need to lead a crackdown on exploitative training practices.
Unions want an end to `sham traineeship' arrangements whereby employers engage young trainees as cheap labor and provide minimal or substandard training. Unpaid internships and student placements should also be consigned to the past.

ACTU - RIGHT TO DISCONNECT

The ACTU is continuing to press for a clear easily understood mechanism to give workers in a wide range of circumstances across all industries the right to disconnect to reclaim a level of work-life balance.
The ACTU lodged its `Right to Disconnect' reply submission to the Fair Work Commission that is tasked with how to vary modern award terms to include the right to disconnect.
The ACTU has put forward ways to strengthen an employee's right to disconnect so that employers need to take all reasonable steps to make sure they don't routinely need to contact workers out of hours. Employers being disorganised should no longer be a good enough excuse.
Employer arguments against the proposed model focus on the need to retain flexibility as a central justification for not supporting the ACTU draft model clause, claiming it carries the perceived risk of `tipping the balance' in favour of employees.
This employers' argument that flexibility will be lost with the implementation of a right to disconnect is a fallacy.
The right to disconnect is directed at an employee's right to refuse unreasonable contact out of hours and does not impose a blanket ban on employer contact.
In fact, the introduction of the right to disconnect will still give bosses the choice about whether to contact employees when they are not working.

ACTU ON CEO PAY

CEOs at some of Australia's biggest companies have received massive pay rises over the past year - to the tune of 14%.
Bringing their average salary to how much, you ask? - $1.37 million per year. (And that's before bonuses, which often double their take-home pay).
And yes, these are the same big business CEOs and their lobbyist mates who called adamantly for minimum and award wage earners to get minimal pay rises - some of them calling for as low as 2% - in a cost-of-living crisis. The hypocrisy is astounding.
Because every worker deserves a wage that reflects the value of work and outpaces the cost of living. We're up against powerful - and shameless - agencies.