Many of the 1,500 new tech roles that would be created after sacking 9,500 staff would now be filled off-shore.
When announcing the job cuts last June, Penn-ypincher said 1,500 new tech roles would be created, putting the net job reduction at around 8,000.
However, at a speech at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia’s launch on Wednesday, the Telstra CEO said the majority of the new roles to date had been filled by offshore workers.
During the same speech, he revealing plans to build an “innovation and capability hub” in India which will skill workers, grooming them to be funnel in to Australia.
Co-founder of MacroBusiness.com.au, Leith van Onselen, labeled the move as a demand for “more migrant IT slaves”:
“If you want a textbook example of why Australia’s ‘skilled’ visa program is a giant fraud, look no further than the special pleading coming from Telstra CEO, Andy Penn, who has demanded government leave the gates wide open for companies to employ foreign workers,” said van Onselen as he compares Penn’s claims to official government statistical employment data.
“So where is this mythical skills shortage necessitating such a strong intake of ‘skilled’ migrants into Australia? This is a particularly pertinent question when also viewed in light of:
- The persistently high labour underutilization pervading across the Australian economy;
- The stubbornly low wages growth;
- The record number of university graduates, many of whom cannot gain meaningful employment; and
- The appallingly low pay floor of $53,900 attached to ‘skilled’ migrants.”
Leith’s full article can be read at: https://bit.ly/2Tt6Bn5
Divisional National President, Shane Murphy, said Penn’s comments are yet another example of the out-of-touch CEO’s complete disrespect for Telstra’s workforce.
“Within the ranks of the 9,500 skilled and experienced workers he is putting on the street, there would be plenty of candidates that could be re-trained or up-skilled to fill the so-called ‘skills gaps’ that Mr Penn is claiming Australia has,” Shane said.
“The fact that he also continues to push for a pay cut, in real terms, for those left behind defines him as a man out of touch with reality”.
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