SIGNAL No.676 – 12 Nov 2015
ISGM SUB CONTRACTOR MEETINGS
The Victorian CWU Branches (P&T, T&S) are notifying of meetings of ISGM Sub Contractors, to discuss the recent distribution of a “new” Ticket of Work Standing Offer Agreement” that is currently being pushed onto ISGM subbies.
The meetings are as follows:
6pm MONDAY 16th NOVEMBER – PRESTON (for northern and western subbies) ST NIKOLA CHURCH HALL, 130 TYLER ST., PRESTON.
6pm TUESDAY 17th NOVEMBER – SANDOWN PARK HOTEL (for southern and eastern subbies), FUNCTION ROOM, SPH, CNR CORRIGAN RD & PRINCES HWY, NOBLE PARK.
It is important that members hold off on any contract signing, even if placed under duress by the ISGM team leaders to urgently sign the agreement. The agreement is meant to come into effect, if agreed by the subbies, on 1 December 2015, so there is still time to consider the contents.
The discussions at these meetings will be more about the short to medium term strategy to deal with these “one sided” contracts. Given we have been saying for a number of years that these types of contracts are unfair, we need to have some commitments from Members regarding signing (or not), trying to change some of the nasty aspects of the clauses (if that is realistic in the current circumstances), etc.
TELSTRA EA CERTIFIED
The Telstra Enterprise Agreement has now been certified and will take effect from 12 November.
Certification of the new Telstra Enterprise Agreement (TEA) was delayed while the Fair Work Commission (FWC) considered claims that certain employees should not have been allowed to vote on it. While the delay did not affect the payment of wage rises in Telstra, other provisions, including changes to redundancy processes have been on hold since the agreement was voted on.
Over 20,000 employees out of a potential 28,000 participated in the EA ballot, with a clear majority (just under 60%) voting to accept the agreement.
But at a FWC hearing on Thursday 29 October, a bargaining agent argued that the agreement should not be certified, primarily because Telstra employees on expired individual contracts (AWAs and ITEAs) had been allowed to vote in the EA ballot.
It was argued that this was unfair because these employees would not (necessarily) be directly affected by the provisions of the agreement.
Despite this argument, the FWC ultimately handed down a written decision last Thursday (5 Nov). Copies of the decision are available online http://decisions.fwc.gov.au/DecisionSearchResults.aspx click on new search and document reference is 2015 FWCA 7487.
NBN LOOKS TO SCHOOL LEAVERS FOR NEW RECRUITS
As part of its efforts to increase the supply of skills for its network roll-out, nbn will target school leavers with a new “Career Start” programme.
Funded through the company’s Industry Development Scheme, the Career Start programme will play a role in creating the approximately 2,000 new entrants into the telecommunications industry which nbn says it will need to meet the project’s estimated 4,500 person labour shortfall.
The remaining 2,500 are to come from existing or upskilled workers.
The CWU welcomes nbn’s explicit recognition of the skills shortages facing the NBN project, a recognition that has been long overdue.
The CWU remains concerned, however, about the forms of employment that will be available to those engaged on the project, especially vulnerable young trainees.
In line with the existing employment model being used by nbn, these newly trained workers will not be engaged by nbn but by its principal contractors who may in turn engage these workers as sub-contractors, not permanent employees.
This is a recipe for the exploitation of inexperienced young entrants into the telecommunications industry –the last thing the industry needs if Australia is to develop and stabilise its skill base in this sector.
The CWU will be seeking discussions with nbn about its training programme and the employment options available to those who participate in it.
CWU MEETS WITH TELSTRA ON REDUNDANCIES
The CWU has begun consultations with Telstra about the latest round of redundancies, announced on 27 October.
Altogether, there will be a net loss of just under 400 jobs. Of these, 135 are permanent Telstra employees and the rest agency staff.
The redundancies are spread across a range of business areas nationally, with the largest number to come from Customer Service Delivery.
The fact that these redundancies have been announced so soon after the most recent round of enterprise bargaining has caused considerable anger among CWU members. And because of delays in certifying the new Enterprise Agreement, there has been uncertainty about what redundancy procedures would apply.
Telstra has now confirmed that those redundancies which were notified before 12 November, when the new agreement takes effect, will be dealt with under the current EA (i.e. 2012-2015). That means those affected by this current round of redundancies who want to take a redundancy payout will have access to it without going through a redeployment process.
For those wanting redeployment, Telstra says it will be actively looking to find new positions in the company. Obviously, though, where centralisation of functions in involved, relocation will often not be an option.
UNIONS SAY NO TO GST RISE
The union movement is gearing up to oppose changes to Australia’s taxation system that would leave working people worse off.
The move comes in response to the revival of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) debate by the Turnbull government. The Coalition is clearly preparing the ground for an increase in both the level and the scope of the tax.
The GST is a regressive tax i.e. it involves everyone paying the same tax rate (in this case on goods and services purchased/used) irrespective of their capacity to pay. Income taxes, in comparison, are progressive because they are tailored to the level of earnings.
ACTU President Ged Kearney said an expanded GST would hit middle and lower income earners while leaving corporate giants untouched. The result would be increased inequality in the tax system.
The ACTU says that if the government is as genuine about tackling the tax system as it says it is then the reform must include current corporate tax minimization methods which cost the nation billions of dollars.
And high income earners should also be made to pay their fair share of tax.
In 2011/12, there were 75 Australians who earned more than $1 million and yet declared an average taxable income of only $1.09 by taking advantage of complicated tax minimisation strategies.
High earners are also disproportionately advantaged by other tax loopholes as well. For example:
- Half of all negative gearing tax breaks go to the top 20% of high income earners.
- Almost 75% of Capital Gains Tax breaks go to the top 10% of income earners
- A third of superannuation tax breaks go to the top 10% of income earners
We need a broad approach to tax reform that ensures everyone pays their fair share, we don’t need a GST hike, we need a fairer tax system,” Ms. Kearney said.
JOHN ELLERY
Secretary