CWU T&S WEEKLY BULLETIN NO 2020 / 41
25 Oct 2020
POST - OH WHAT A CIRCUS
Oh what a circus, oh what a show
The Liberal Party has gone to town
Over the watches and their CEO
We've all gone crazy....... (Apologies to Andrew Lloyd Webber (Evita))
POST - WHILE THERE IS A WAGE FREEZE!
This week saw startling developments at Post as the CEO stood aside following the revelation that Post gave out bonuses. It seems that money is plentiful for the senior bosses, while there is virtually nothing for the front line and back of house workers. To make it worse some branches of our union did a "Memorandum of Understanding" to freeze wages for 12 months by deferring a new EBA. That saved Post a fortune. Yet there were no watches for staff.
POST CRISIS: EXTRACTS FROM THE GUARDIAN: BONUSES
Front line workers, some 30,000, shared $21.6m in incentives.
Big bosses shared $75.8m (and 4 watches).
Post told the (Senate) hearing the total value of incentives awarded last financial year was $97.4m, although that included $21.6m in "thank you" payments to frontline workers for continuing to provide services through the pandemic.
But the board said it had decided not to pay incentive payments to Holgate and executive general managers for 2019-20.
That decision followed a public intervention by the communications minister, Paul Fletcher, demanding the executive team "honour its commitment" to reject bonuses at a time when the government had provided it with Covid-19 related regulatory relief.
POST CRISIS: EXTRACTS FROM THE GUARDIAN: MORE TO COME
The separate investigation ordered by (PM) Morrison on Thursday after revelations about Post's spending will be conducted over the next four weeks by the communications and finance departments with help from an external law firm. Guardian Australia understands the government is likely to reach an arrangement with a law firm next week and a budget hasn't been settled yet.
The government is expected to clarify the terms of reference in the coming days, but it has already signalled it will take steps to ascertain the knowledge or otherwise of the then chair and board members.
DON'T FORGET OTHERS
NBN boss Stephen Rue is now one of the nation's highest paid taxpayer-funded executive after earning more than $3 million in the past financial year. Ms Holgate was paid $2.6 million in 2019, including an $830,000 bonus, but took home $1.6 million this year after a voluntary 20% pay cut and her board vetoed personal bonus payments amid the economic climate.
PM Scott Morrison is paid about $550,000 a year, while Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe earned just shy of $1.1 million pa.
Telstra chief executive Andy Penn received a total package worth $3.7 million in 2020, down from $5 million in 2019. TPG Telecom chief executive and executive David Teoh's total package was about $3.1 million.
The median income in Australia is $48,360 before tax, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
NOT AS GOOD AS MY FITBIT
Christine Holgate told Senate estimates the watches, purchased in 2018 as a reward for the executives, were worth about $3,000 each. But in a statement released on Friday evening, the Post chair, Lucio Di Bartolomeo, said the four luxury timepieces actually cost $7,000, $4,750, $4,400 and $3,800, totalling $19,950. Holgate "provided answers to questions relating to the purchase of four gifts for four Post employees [but] since the appearance I have become aware of further details of the purchase and wish, as a matter of urgency, to clarify [their worth]," Di Bartolomeo said.
DON'T FORGET THE PLANTS
After all, Postie HQ under fresh plant lover Holgate splashed out more than $700,000 on office plants. Then again, that's a splash in the pond compared to the $1.15 million in termination payments AusPost handed out this year to just three executives.
But the big spending doesn't stop at Australia Post's door.
Last year the $2.86 million-a-year chief executive (including bonuses) was spotted on the streets of Sydney's Mosman driving an electric blue Range Rover four-wheel drive, with the bespoke "POSTY1" number plate. When asked about the car bling, Holgate said it had been a gift from her husband. (The Guardian)
TOLL GROUP ALSO SUFFERING
Extract from IT News: Toll Group is still mopping up more than 9 months after an encounter with ransomware in late January, with the security executive in charge of recovery describing the "very, very long tail from a cyber incident" that victims get caught in. The logistics giant was first hit by Mail to ransomware at the end of January, which took 6 weeks to recover from. It then suffered a second attack in early May that used the Nefilim malware and was similarly devastating.
TELSTRA MOVES AHEAD WITH REDUNDANCIES
Telstra advised of a final decision to amend the shift roster and shift length in the NOC, Networks.
This letter is to notify you that today Telstra announced the close of consultation in relation to the amendment to the shift roster and shift length in the onshore NOC within Networks. As a result, 9 employees within this team will no longer work between 10 and 12 hour shifts, instead, they will move to completing a 7.21 hour shift. The new shift roster will be operational from the first week of Dec. Following this, they will receive a payment equivalent to 3 months shift penalties, which will be paid as a lump sum.
TELSTRA N&IT - EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
We (with the Vic T&S Branch) have sought a meeting with Telstra to discuss the introduction of Agile. It creates a situation where staff have been asked to lodge an "expression of interest" in the higher level jobs - nearly 200 jobs. It raises the obvious question that all jobs have been spilt (a redundancy situation). In our view, "spill and fill" is not a fair process as it allows for a subjective approach to promotion or job retention.
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USEFUL QUICK LINKS
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Secretary/Lawyer - industrial matters & advice eg payments, applications, change of details |
Authorised by Dan Dwyer Branch Secretary
CWU Telecommunications & Services Branch, Sydney City, NSW.
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2020