The Communication Workers Union said the majority of the planned 53 jobs cuts would impact Ballarat and Netley in South Australia.

The union claims the pegged job cuts are a result of Telstra’s move to further reorganise its technical workforce, in the Wideband design area in customer service delivery. In a statement Telstra spokesman James Kelly said Telstra was proposing to reduce the number of locations delivering design solutions used by field-based staff to haul and install fibre. The company is planning to move from a site-based model to a hub model where jobs are based out of centres. 

“If the proposal goes ahead, it may result in the loss of 19 roles in Ballarat, offset by the creation of five roles in Melbourne and four roles in regional Victoria,” he said.

The union has slammed the proposal as a “blow to local employment” that continued a pattern of outsourcing work offshore.