Two Telstra workers were recently severely assaulted on the job while carrying out late-night maintenance
If it wasn’t bad enough that Telstra staff are under the pressure of unreasonable workloads and scrutiny due to Telstra’s bad management decisions, the CEPU now fears that Telstra staff are now also disturbingly unsafe at work when carrying out their duties during the late hours of the evening.
Two members were recently severely assaulted on the job after being called out to carry out late-night maintenance on a RIM in Woodcroft, a suburb in the Blacktown area of Sydney’s West.
The two members were assaulted by a cowardly gang of five young men, were beaten with baseball bats and were robbed of their Telstra issued laptops and phones.
Stranded in the middle of the night with no phone and no return-communication to Telstra or the authorities one of the victims were forced to drive, with severe injuries, himself and his work-mate to Blacktown Hospital where they were treated for their injuries and provided statements to the local Police.
The CEPU has called on Telstra to refrain from scheduling maintenance at untimely hours of the night, and if absolutely necessary that emergency work is carried out during these times, that Telstra provide adequate security personnel to ensure the physical safety of workers carrying out these duties.
The CEPU is also calling on Telstra to implement, what has been described as simple, a back-to-base panic communication tool into the GPS device installed in Telstra vehicles.
The CEPU advises all staff faced with similar circumstances to avoid all chances of possible conflict with these types of “thugs” and hand over whatever equipment they may ask you for. Your health and safety comes before Telstra’s equipment.
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