PROXY TELSTRA AGM
The Telstra AGM is on Tue 15 Oct 2018 in Melbourne. The Vic T&S Branch will be at the AGM. The Branch will again raise some of our issues (like pay v CEO pay).
If you wish to proxy John Ellery (full name Christopher John Ellery) to cast your vote at that meeting, please fill out the on line arrangements at Telstra AGM, and send him a copy of the nomination. Could you please also email a copy of the vote or if that isn't possible then the registration /confirmation to John - jellery@cwu.asn.au

CAN WE TRUST TELSTRA - CLASSIFICATION
Telstra has responded to our complaint that staff have been regraded to a lower classification and then paid an allowance. Telstra said:

This change was communicated to the affected employees as well as the CWU on the 24th of May. Please note that this change was not a demotion, nor does has it reduced any employee's remuneration. These changes have no impact on employees' existing fixed remuneration, actual salary, redundancy pay or Telstra superannuation conditions. Where the realignment resulted in a variation to an employee's base salary, there was a corresponding salary allowance created to ensure that the employee's existing Fixed Remuneration is retained. This salary allowance is also displayed on their payslip. This is purely an administrative change. It has not caused any staff to become `overpaid officers', nor have any demotions occurred in any way.

We do not accept this as an appropriate response. There is no explanation why staff cannot retain their actual classification. We will pursue a meeting and explanation. We can then consider our position.

POST ENGINEERING - POST DO DEAL BUT NOT WITH US
Following the complaint to Post by John Ellery and myself over the failure to consult on the changes, we received a written response - see last week's bulletin. The significant points were:

+ (Post) committed that no further action relating to the restructure of award positions will be undertaken until after the consultative meetings next week and next steps are determined.

+ (Post) committed to ensuring we explore all genuine redeployment opportunities for those effected by this change and see the withdrawal of the EOI and Form A's as counterproductive to achieving this.

We wrote this week asking about the consultative meeting - John Ellery and I were not invited to the meeting. Post then responded as follows:

As discussed during our consultative meeting last week on the Proposed Engineering Structure, I have met with both Greg Rayner and James Perkins from the national office. The following next steps were agreed:
+ proceed with issuing Expressions of Interest (EOI) in NSW following a brief to be given to Shane Murphy. All employees will be given 1 week to return their completed form indicating their preference. All employees that don't return their form by the required date will be contacted and extensions may be granted on a case by case basis.
+ Once all EOIs have been returned and collated we will arrange another meeting, extending an invitation to state officials, to review employee preferences and confirm next steps.
This should allow us to arrange a meeting in the week commencing the October 21st.

POST ENGINEERING - NEXT STEPS
Neither Mr Rayner nor Perkins has contacted us. Our T&S Branch opposes the deal. This should not proceed until there has been consultation on the changes causing the redundancies. We want to save jobs, not agree to cuts and forced redundancies. We believe that Post has breached the EBA because there was no consultation. We reject their claim that we consulted at our meeting with Post - we had not even been informed at that stage that decisions had been made. Watch this space.

POST SWLF/SPF ROSTERS AND STRUCTURE
Post is briefing staff across all shifts. The main points are
+ The Mails staff are moving to a 2 shift operation early next year (late Jan/early Feb). Technical coverage should be reviewed as the opportunity to access the machines each day for maintenance is increased..
+ There is a proposal to have SWLF staff maintain the various machines at SGF. This is a stand alone proposal, unrelated to the two shift proposal and can be dealt with separately.
+ A working group is to be established to deal with the shift changes and the SGF proposal.

The initial feedback from our members is that the SGF proposal be firmly rejected and we will support out members. We will advise of progress.

REMINDER NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Branch Committee of Management has determined that the Annual General Meeting be held on Thursday 17 October 2019 at 6.00pm at the Office of the Branch at Suite 1B, Level 1, 57-59 Renwick Street, Leichhardt NSW 2040. Further, that the meeting be open to members via telephone by calling 02 8015 2088 and entering the meeting ID is 727465537

UNION SHOPPER
We remind members of the benefits of using Union Shopper. See Union Shopper

TELSTRA EBA HOOK-UP
Monitor our HOME PAGE for details of the next hook-up.
The hook-up is hosted by John Ellery a member of the negotiating committee from our T&S Vic Branch.
+ Simply dial in: 02 8015 2088 and enter the Meeting ID

VIP - CONTACTING US - NEW PHONE NUMBER
Please note the following changes as we simplify our phone numbers
0428 942 878 dan.dwyer@cwunion.net Dan Dwyer Secretary/Lawyer - for industrial matters & advice
0447 265 443 reception@cwunion.net Administrative eg payments, applications, change of details

Authorised by Dan Dwyer Branch Secretary
CWU Telecommunications & Services Branch, Leichhardt, NSW.