MOVING TO A SUBSIDIARY - A CERTAINTY - VOTE NO!
It seems almost certain that the majority of staff will be moved to a subsidiary in about 7 months' time (June 2020). The investor day and the analysis from commentators suggest this. You will cease to be employed by Telstra. Under the current EBA, Telstra cannot move you to a subsidiary. Telstra needs the new EBA to allow them to move you to a subsidiary.
We are not convinced that the new EBA scheme and promises are sufficient to protect your conditions. Hence we say vote NO. Make sure that you spread the word. See our EBA 2019 Page

TELSTRA INVESTOR DAY
At Investor Day last week, Telstra said that it had decided to shift InfraCo's asset boundaries to include mobile towers, all fibre, and network supporting infrastructure. We have also decided to move PSTN, legacy fixed and satellite infrastructure back into Telstra. One diagram listed 5 asset based businesses for InfraCo. They were
1. Fibre
2. Towers and Poles
3. Ducts Pits and Pipes
4. Exchanges and data Centres
5. Subsea Cables

AFR SUMMARY WORTH A READ
Thus week the Australian Financial Review published an excellent analysis of the Telstra moves:

Telstra will transfer all its mobile infrastructure into the structurally distinct infrastructure arm, InfraCo. The change brings Telstra a step closer to a potential sale of its infrastructure business, although chief executive Andy Penn insisted the company had no intention of parting with its valuable network of mobile towers. While Telstra will continue to own InfraCo, for financial purposes the two arms of the business will function as separate entities, with Telstra renting the towers and fibre off InfraCo. See the full AFR Article for more.

TELSTRA CLASSIFICATIONS
Telstra has responded to our request for a meeting. We will consult with out Vic Branch about our next move.

As Blake Morvad (ER Specialist) previously shared with you via email on 10 October, this change was communicated to affected employees as well as the CWU on the 24th of May this year.
As advised, these changes have had 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 was purely an administrative change.
Given this, as opposed to a meeting I would ask that if there is a particular member(s) who have a question / concern to please send these through to me. I will then ask a member of the team to look into this further for you.

SGF AND SPF OPERATIONS
Post responded to our letter outlining our objections to the removal of SGF from SPF. See below. Members have made it clear that removals of SGF must be opposed for a number of reasons. We will escalate the matter through the dispute process.

I refer to your letter dated 24 November 2019 regarding the proposed SPF roster changes including SGF not being included in this process. Firstly, I reject your assertion that this exercise is a `million dollar waste' that will result in additional costs for the Facility. We have been very clear from the outset that the roster changes are intended to align with the SPF processing operations which will result in significant benefits through;
• Maximising the maintenance within the dedicated intrusion maintenance window Monday to Friday
• Implementing rostered technical support Monday to Friday when the machine is in full operation
• Creating dedicated shifts/teams to enable self-managed teams, ownership & accountability
• Transitioning technicians to an 8.40 shift to enable improved engagement through more time for toolbox talks & handover process between each shift

In respect of your concerns regarding `fitters', we recognise that these current SPF technical staff provide an important technical role for the Facility. We also appreciate that there needs to be a balance with the various mix of skills/qualifications within the technical group and I am confident that the LWG will balance out these priorities with their proposed rosters.
In respect of the maintenance of the SGF machine, as previously advised our proposal was to transition the technical resources for SGF coverage from SPF to SWLF which will enable us to better service the Beumer machines at SWLF, ADF and Eastern Creek by having this dedicated area of expertise.
I note your concerns with this approach and disagree that this will deskill the SPF technicians, noting your comments that the SPF technicians are the most skilled in the technical workforce. As you are aware recently SPF technicians were afforded the opportunity to transfer to SWLF and declined the offer, this pathway will continue to be available to SPF technicians when vacancies arise.
I would like to confirm that the SGF machinery will be maintained by the SWLF technical group from next year therefore this will not be a roster option for the SPF LWG to consider.
I can also confirm that the EOIs are being distributed to all technical staff from today and once staff preferences are returned, the LWG can then continue working on their proposed SPF rosters.
If you would like to discuss any of the above further, this can be raised at either the Steering Committee or State Consultative Forum that we currently have in place as an escalation process for this exercise.

UNION REGULATORS CONDUCTED UNLAWFUL RAIDS
In a blow to the Morrison Government's arguments for the Ensuring Integrity Bill before the senate the Federal Court has ruled the union regulator, the Register Organisations Commission (ROC) investigation into the AWU was invalid. Justice Bromberg has ruled that the ROC did not have grounds to order an AFP raid on the offices of the AWU and has ordered the return of the documents that were seized on behalf of the regulator in their first act after being established by the Liberal Government in 2017. The decision comes as the Morrison Government attempts to pass the Ensuring Integrity Bill in the Senate which would give the ROC the extreme power to determine which unions are deregistered and which officials are disqualified under the dangerous and hypocritical new union-busting law. Under the EI Bill the ROC would have the power to begin deregistration proceedings against a union which had made a handful of paperwork mistakes over a period of 10 years.
ACTU President Michele O'Neil: The Morrison government has been telling Senators that the ROC is an impartial body which can administer the extraordinary powers granted under EI. The Federal Court has just found it conducted an illegal raid on a union office. Giving union busters more power to drag unions into courts over minor paperwork breaches, some that would only cost a company an $80 fine, will cost members and the taxpayer millions in legal fees. This is before accounting for the cost of not being able to campaign for higher wages, better working conditions and safer workplaces.

EBA PHONE HOOKUP
Watch our Home Page for details.

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.