Background
The CEPU will be appearing in Fair Work Australia (FWA) to propose a new modernised enterprise award to cover Telstra employees.
The move is a response to Telstra’s attempts to have all its current enterprise awards scrapped and replaced by the general telecoms industry award, the Telecommunications Services Award (TSA) together with other relevant modernised industry awards.
Part of Federal Labor’s Fair Work agenda has been the modernisation of all awards, including enterprise-specific ones like those in Telstra.
The modernisation process can result in either a set of new modernised enterprise awards or a move to general industry awards.
Neither result will have an immediate impact on members’ conditions, which have been secured through the recent Telstra Enterprise Agreement (EA). But the new award will set a benchmark for the next round of EA negotiations so it is important that key conditions such as the 36 3/4 hour week are preserved in it.
Award modernisation case begins
Telstra and the CEPU, have initiated proceedings in Fair Work Australia (FWA) which will determine the future award safety net for Telstra employees.
While Telstra is seeking to replace its current enterprise awards with the general modernised industry award (the Telecommunications Services Award) Unions are seeking a new enterprise-specific award which protects current entitlements.
An initial hearing was held in Fair Work Australia on 15th March before Vice President Lawler for the purposes of deciding how the two different applications should best be dealt with.
It was agreed by FWA that they would best be dealt with concurrently as far as that was possible and that the unions should have a further period of time to prepare a draft modern enterprise award before Telstra’s application was heard. In the meantime, Telstra is to finalise the evidence in support of its case.
A further hearing is scheduled for 29th April.
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