The Communications Workers Union is calling for Telstra to reverse its proposed move to sack up to 19 wideband design staff in Ballarat.
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CWU Victorian secretary John Ellery met with Ballarat staff on Tuesday amid fears any potential loss of jobs would mean a closure of the Dowling Street site, which also serves a base for other staff.
The proposed job cut is aimed at reducing 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.
A consultation phase will commence to determine the outcome of the proposed restructure, with Telstra planning to create nine new roles if it cuts 53 jobs across Ballarat, Netley (in South Australia) and Hobart.
Despite the concern, Telstra has guaranteed the Dowling Street site will remain open and in use.
“Telstra has a number of presences in Ballarat including retail stores in the Bridge Mall and Wendouree, staff in the Telstra Country Wide office at Central Square, constructor operatives and project officers at Dowling Street and others based at Gillies Street,” a statement from a Telstra spokesperson said.
Despite this, a letter from Telstra to union branches on September 8 detailing the proposed change, supplied to The Courier, stated that “site function closures” in Netley, Hobart and Ballarat were “potential impacts”.
Another statement from Telstra said the “site function” was in reference to the jobs, not the site itself.
“It means that the wideband is the job function performed at that site,” the statement read.
“After consultation if the jobs are determined to be going than those jobs will no longer be performed at that particular site. It doesn’t mean that the site itself, where others roles are performed (as previously detailed) will be closing in its entirety.”
“Employee consultation means involving employees and their chosen representatives in the decision making process by seeking their views on the proposed changes.
“Outcomes of consultation could include the creation of additional new roles in addition to the nine new roles that are already included in the proposal (or) amendments to the number of roles in scope based on feedback received from both employees and their representatives.
“Separately, 110 new communication technicians roles will also be working across Victoria by Christmas, of which 11 will be dedicated to the state’s south west.”
Mr Ellery said he firmly believed the site would close.
“Yes, without a doubt (I believe it would close),” he said.
“The site at Dowling Street is a combination of design people as well as a line depot. There are one or two network construction type people who actually do the physical build. In the main, the site will be empty.
“Big companies like Telstra in Australia, even though they’re privately owned, do have some sort of need to be morally sound about the decisions they make about Australian people, particularly in regional areas.”
Mr Ellery said he lamented the loss of what he considered “high level” jobs in Ballarat.
The letter from Telstra to union branches outlines that the proposed cuts in Ballarat would see one design team member, one appraisal staff, three appraisal/designer staff, two workflow members, eight SAT/designers, one design technical specialist and three designers made redundant.
However, the telco would create nine roles in Victoria to offset potential losses, including four in regional Victoria and five in Melbourne, including a team manager role.
“If the proposal proceeds, any employee displaced by the decision would have the opportunity to express an interest in the new proposed roles (9 roles) through a closed recruitment process,” the letter read.
Telstra did not say how many more staff work at the Dowling Street office when contacted by The Courier.
Meanwhile, Ballarat MP Catherine King said she was concerned that Telstra continues to cut regional staff, particularly in Ballarat.
“This is just part of a continuing trend of job losses from Telstra in the city and it is very worrying, Ms King said.
“People in Ballarat are entitled to question Telstra’s commitment to this region. Although I understand some of these positions will shift to Geelong, it raises questions about Telstra’s corporate responsibility when it comes to regional employment.
“If Telstra is serious about being part of Ballarat’s future it needs to clearly demonstrate some certainty about plans for its workforce here.