Telecommunications
Telstra EA offer: have your say
(25 May 2010) The CEPU is conducting a ballot of all of its Telstra members who are eligible to be covered by a new EA in the company.
Beginning Wednesday 26 May, members will receive ballot papers together with material relating to Telstra’s latest offer. Members need to vote by 12 noon on Friday 11 June.
Members need to be clear that this is not the final, formal ballot on the proposed EA itself. Such a vote would be conducted by Telstra (or by the AEC on its behalf) and would include all affected employees, both union and non-union members.
This ballot is designed to tell your CEPU negotiators whether to accept or reject Telstra’s latest offer, including the four 2% wage rises being offered over the proposed two year agreement.
The ballot materials members will receive provide further details of the agreement and outline the case for and against accepting the offer.
At its meeting of 10 May, however, the Communications Division Executive resolved to recommend members vote NO in this ballot.
While Telstra has said that their latest EA pay offer is their final one, EA employees in the company are now and will, under this offer, continue to be thousands of dollars behind employees on ECAs. Divisional Executive cannot recommend that members accept this situation.
Where to after the ballot?
If the majority of members vote YES in the ballot the CEPU will advise Telstra that the union accepts the pay offer and, subject to any final fine tuning of the EA document, will recommend a YES vote in the formal employee ballot.
If members vote NO, the CEPU will call on them to escalate our campaign for a better EA outcome.
For its part, Telstra has indicated that it may take this wage offer off the table if it is rejected by the union.
For more information, contact the CEPU via feedback@cepu.asn.au