TZV LAST MINUTE ATTEMPTS FAIL

With the Victorian election at the end of November, The Government entered Caretaker Mode on last Tuesday evening.
We met with about 50 Support members on Tuesday this week by Zoom at very short notice (about 30 mins). We initially believed that TZV were offering a deal. We sought to clarify the "offer" with TZV. Just before the meeting, we received an email from TZV which stated:

Good afternoon, I have just been advised by DJCS that there is no capacity for the government to approve a MOU. According to DJCS that has been confirmed with IRV.

TELSTRA HFC APPEAL

The appeal by Telstra against the decision of the Commissioner will be heard by a Full Bench this Thursday. Telstra had objected to the hearing of the dispute about Redundancy in HFC. Commissioner Tran held that she had jurisdiction to hear our case. Usually, decisions are reserved and we will wait some time before the Full Bench hands down its decision.

NBN SOD CASE

Still no decision from the Industrial Relations Court of NSW. It cannot be far away now.

TELSTRA MORE ON SOCI

Telstra had added to their response to our questions. We are meeting with Telstra again this Wednesday to clarify some matters.

Thanks for your patience while we followed up on the actions we took on notice on Monday. Please see our responses below.
1. Will social media be screened as part of the checks conducted by Certn. If not, can you please ensure this message is clarified to employees.
As discussed in the meeting, social media will not be screened through these checks. We have clarified this with our field leaders, as well as added the below FAQ to our AskUs page:
Will my social media be checked in the background check?
No, it will not. There is an Adverse Media check completed which screens news and other public media sources for negative coverage linked to the individual, such as allegations or findings of fraud, financial crime, misconduct or regulatory action, to help identify reputational and integrity risks.
2. Request for a copy of the waiver/consent that an employee agrees to through the Certn portal
Please see attached consent forms, including a general authorization, and additional consent for processing biometric data (this data is used to verify the employee identity through a 'selfie'), and right to work check.
3. Is Certn an offshore company?
Certn is a Canadian founded international screening provider with Australian operations. For Telstra's SOCI rescreening, Certn has advised that where no international checks are required, the relevant data is collected, stored and processed in Australia.
4. How long is data stored?
Copies of passports, driver's licences, photographs and other identity documents are retained for 30 days for audit purposes and then purged.
Screening reports are retained for 12 months (however ACIC reports are 90 days).
Audit logs are retained for 12 months for reports and other logs for 3 years.
Verification records are held for 12 months, with biometric information only held as long as it is required to complete the check.
For further information, you can also access Certn's Privacy Policy and Privacy Notice.
5. What is Telstra's position if Certn experiences a data breach?
We and our suppliers, including Certn, take our obligations in relation to confidentiality and data security very seriously. In the unlikely event that Certn experiences a data breach affecting Telstra employees, our supplier agreement with Certn includes provisions addressing Telstra's involvement in the response. While we're unable to share the agreement itself, it provides Telstra with rights to investigate the incident and provide support as appropriate.
At this stage, most employee questions and feedback we're receiving relate to access, as well as leaders seeking guidance on the opt out process where an employee should no longer be considered a critical worker.

BAI TECHS EA UPDATE

The CWU has reviewed BAI's latest bargaining response and, following detailed discussions, have concluded that we are not able to support their proposed Enterprise Agreement in its current form.
While BAI has moved on a number of claims, those changes are limited ,and significant concerns and matters of contention remain unresolved with some not being meaningfully addressed, at all.

Hours Bank Protections
The CWU is not seeking to abolish the Hours Bank or annualised salary model, despite claims to the contrary. Our claims are directed at improving fairness and addressing identified shortcomings, including:
- Recognition of fatigue related recovery periods;
- Protection where members are directed not to work hours they otherwise would have worked; and
- Appropriate recognition of excessive working days.
These claims are aimed at strengthening existing arrangements not replacing them.

Career Progression Pathways
Members have consistently raised concerns about career progression and classification assessment processes. Key concerns remain:
- The absence of clear and transparent progression pathways;
- A lack of meaningful employee and Union involvement in their development; and
- Concerns regarding consistency and fairness in classification assessments.

Team Leader Recognition
There is currently no meaningful recognition for those performing Team Leader responsibilities while classified at the BT4 level.
It is the CWU's position that the role involves significant leadership, operational and administrative responsibilities that warrant proper recognition through a distinct classification and appropriate remuneration. BAI has proposed retaining Team Leaders at the BT4 classification whilst paying an allowance of $50 per week. In our view, a modest allowance increase does not adequately recognise the additional responsibilities, accountability and expectations associated with the role.

Other Outstanding Claims
A number of important claims also remain unresolved, including:
- Saturday penalty provisions;
- On-call leave entitlements;
- Away-from-home allowances;
- Access to monitoring data;
- Parental leave provisions;
- Training and skills development provisions; and
- Recognition of a standard nine-hour day across relevant entitlements.

FWO WAGE THEFT INCREASES

October 2026: More than 181,000 workers had a total of $453 million in underpaid wages back-paid in the financial year, an increase of about $95 million from the year before. The cumulative back-payments for Australian workers across the last six financial years stands at close to $2.5 billion.
The Fair Work Ombudsman received a record 31,596 anonymous reports last year, as recoveries for underpaid workers increased by 27 per cent.

AUSTRALIA POST PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

On Friday 30 Oct, the Communications Minister Anika Wells announced an inquiry into the future of Australia Post. She is asking the inquiry to look at the performance of Post. It is no secret that there are falling letter numbers, higher delivery costs and competition from e-commerce companies.

NORWAY POST - ONCE A WEEK DELIVERY

The following report is from Geneva based UNI, the world body representing Postal and Telecom workers. (Note: CEPU is not affiliated with UNI. I worked for UNI for about 5 years some time ago)

UNI Global Union stands in unwavering solidarity with postal workers in Norway and their union, Fagforbundet as they face the largest mass layoffs in the country's history. Government plans to reduce letter deliveries from every other day to once a week from 1 July 2027 threaten to eliminate two-thirds of all delivery jobs in the country's postal service. Around 2,000 of Norway's 3,000 letter carriers could lose their jobs within six months, with production workers, drivers and management also facing the impact of the cuts.
The proposal, set out in the Government's draft state budget for 2027, would cut 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner (EUR 140 million) from Posten, the state-owned postal operator. It contains no compensatory measures for workers.
A fight for postal jobs
"It is outrageous for a Labour government to sack more than 2,000 postal employees and thereby be responsible for the largest mass layoff in Norwegian history. We accept that the service must be adapted to letter volumes, but we cannot accept the way it is being done. Fagforbundet will fight this proposal tooth and nail and build political pressure to make the Labour Party change course, first and foremost through dialogue with the Government's four partner parties," says Cathrine Erts†s, Leader of Fagforbundet Post og finans.
"We will do everything in our power to support postal workers in Norway in fighting this attack on their jobs and the country's postal services. Now is not the time to dismantle essential public infrastructure. In an age of increasing insecurity, our postal networks are more important than ever to connect people and communities. The answer to falling letter volumes is modernization, not demolition. We must explore every opportunity to diversify postal services, protect jobs and preserve a vital physical delivery network built over centuries. UNI stands in full solidarity with Fagforbundet and Norway's postal workers," says Cornelia Berger, Head of Post & Logistics at UNI Global Union.
Lessons from Denmark
Norway's plan comes less than a year after Denmark lost its public letter service. On 30 Dec 2025, PostNord delivered its last letter in Denmark, ending more than 400 years of public mail distribution. The company refocused entirely on parcels, around 1,500 jobs were cut and letter delivery passed to a private operator, dramatically increasing prices and leading to a stark deterioration in service.
UNI Europa's Save Our Post campaign is fighting to stop other countries going down the same road. The campaign calls for postal services to be modernized rather than dismantled, with the universal service obligation extended to cover parcels and every delivery operator held to decent labour standards, fair wages and collective bargaining rights.
Show your support for Fagforbundet and postal workers in Norway. Send a letter of solidarity to Cathrine.ertsas@fagforbundet.no