ID :
18665
Tue, 09/09/2008 - 21:59
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/18665
The shortlink copeid
Telstra takes unions to court
(AAP) Telstra has launched federal court action against unions in the ongoing pay dispute involving its wholesale and service division.
Telstra claims unions have made false and misleading statements about the collective
agreement pay offer it made last month to its wholesale and service staff.
It claims the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU), the Community
and Public Sector Union (CPSU), the Association of Professional Engineers,
Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA) and ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence are all
in breach of the Workplace Relations Act.
Telstra human resources group managing director Andrea Grant has released a
statement about the action lodged on Tuesday which will be heard in Melbourne on
Wednesday.
"We remain extremely concerned about the false and misleading information being
given to our employees by the unions about the employee collective agreement they
are about to vote on," Ms Grant said.
"We have asked the unions on a number of occasions to stop misinforming our people -
these requests have been ignored."
ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence said it was disappointing Telstra had resorted to legal
action.
"At all times unions have sought to provide accurate and useful information to
Telstra employees and we will be defending our right to continue to do so," Mr
Lawrence said.
"The action is being brought under what remains of the Work Choices IR laws -
everyone knows these laws are biased towards big employers like Telstra."
Telstra has offered about half of its 750 wholesale division staff a 12.5 per cent
pay rise over three years, with the option for annual performance bonuses of up to
7.5 per cent.
The other half of staff are already on set individual contracts and those not on the
individual agreements will vote on the collective agreement offer next week.
The ACTU has claimed the offer is effectively a pay cut when set against annual
inflation predictions of five per cent, but Telstra says no employee will have their
wage rate reduced by the collective agreements.
The corporation walked away from negotiations with the union in July and is now
negotiating directly with staff.
But Mr Lawrence called on Telstra to resume negotiations with unions after claiming
victory in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) on Tuesday.
The AIRC ruled it had the authority to intervene in a dispute when one party refuses
to agree to mediation.
The AIRC will decide at a later date whether to oversee a secret ballot of Telstra
employees on a union-negotiated collective agreement or a non-union deal.
"Telstra should now accept the umpire's decision and resume genuine negotiations
with unions," Mr Lawrence said.
Telstra claims unions have made false and misleading statements about the collective
agreement pay offer it made last month to its wholesale and service staff.
It claims the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU), the Community
and Public Sector Union (CPSU), the Association of Professional Engineers,
Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA) and ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence are all
in breach of the Workplace Relations Act.
Telstra human resources group managing director Andrea Grant has released a
statement about the action lodged on Tuesday which will be heard in Melbourne on
Wednesday.
"We remain extremely concerned about the false and misleading information being
given to our employees by the unions about the employee collective agreement they
are about to vote on," Ms Grant said.
"We have asked the unions on a number of occasions to stop misinforming our people -
these requests have been ignored."
ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence said it was disappointing Telstra had resorted to legal
action.
"At all times unions have sought to provide accurate and useful information to
Telstra employees and we will be defending our right to continue to do so," Mr
Lawrence said.
"The action is being brought under what remains of the Work Choices IR laws -
everyone knows these laws are biased towards big employers like Telstra."
Telstra has offered about half of its 750 wholesale division staff a 12.5 per cent
pay rise over three years, with the option for annual performance bonuses of up to
7.5 per cent.
The other half of staff are already on set individual contracts and those not on the
individual agreements will vote on the collective agreement offer next week.
The ACTU has claimed the offer is effectively a pay cut when set against annual
inflation predictions of five per cent, but Telstra says no employee will have their
wage rate reduced by the collective agreements.
The corporation walked away from negotiations with the union in July and is now
negotiating directly with staff.
But Mr Lawrence called on Telstra to resume negotiations with unions after claiming
victory in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) on Tuesday.
The AIRC ruled it had the authority to intervene in a dispute when one party refuses
to agree to mediation.
The AIRC will decide at a later date whether to oversee a secret ballot of Telstra
employees on a union-negotiated collective agreement or a non-union deal.
"Telstra should now accept the umpire's decision and resume genuine negotiations
with unions," Mr Lawrence said.
