What should have been a regular workplace visit to Telstra Moe from CPSU descended into farce, with management going to extraordinary lengths to keep your local organiser from talking to Telstra staff.
Access denied
On Wednesday 23 July CPSU organiser Trev Ward visited Telstra Moe, after
providing management with his right of entry notice 24 hours earlier, as
required by law. However when he attempted to gain access to the building,
management refused entry, claiming that the manager CPSU contacted via email was
no longer with Telstra Moe and as he had not notified the “correct” manager
access would not be granted. Despite complying with all relevant sections of the
Workplace Relations Act (including sections 760 and 763) entry to the workplace
was refused. Management had not notified CPSU of any change of contact details.
This matter has now been referred to your union’s legal section to be pursued.
Café crackdown
After being denied entry, Trev sent an email message CPSU members letting
them know they could come and see him in the Jasper café. The café proprietor
was happy for Trev to have his lunch there and talk to employees who wished to
speak with him. However Telstra management then contacted the café proprietor
and sought to have Trev removed. With reluctance the proprietor then asked him
to leave, explaining they could not afford to upset management as Telstra
employees made up a large proportion of their business. Trev completed his visit
by standing outside the building and talking to those employees coming in and
out.
Why the tough tactics?
Following last week’s decision by Telstra management’s to walk away from EA
negotiations, employees have been subjected to a barrage of material outlining
the Telstra management position. This agreement is very important in determining
the future pay and conditions for staff currently on Australian Workplace
Agreements (AWAs). CPSU believes you deserve access to a range of opinions so
you can make up your own mind.
Towards a better relationship
One of the key objectives of the EA campaign has been to establish a better
working relationship between management, unions and staff – so we can avoid the
type of situation CPSU encountered during this most recent visit. More
information
