EA 97 DRAFT 1

TELSTRA CORPORATION 1997/98 ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT

11.1 Ordinary Hours of Work

11.1.1 Ordinary hours of work for full time and part time employees are as follows:
(a) Full time
36_ hours per week (excluding rest/meal breaks).
(b) Part time
Persons willing and available to work, on a regular basis, less than 36_ hours per week may be engaged as part-time employees. The number and configuration of hours to be worked by such employees may vary from week to week as determined at the time of engagement or appointment to an alternative position or as subsequently agreed.

11.1.2 The span of ordinary hours will be from 6.30 am to 7.00 pm Monday to Friday and 7.00 am to 6.00 pm on Saturday.

11.1.3 Within the span of ordinary hours, the normal start and finish times will be determined by the relevant manager after discussion with the employees and having regard to the needs of the Company's customers, the individual preferences of employees and their family responsibilities. It is not anticipated that normal start and finish times will vary from day to day except in accordance with rostered arrangements. However, staggered start and finish times may be introduced by the Company to avoid operational difficulties.

11.2 Rest/Meal Breaks
Employees who work a minimum of five continuous hours are entitled, after this period, to an unpaid meal break of between 30 minutes and one hour. The length of the break is to be agreed with the relevant Manager.

11.3 Overtime

11.3.1 The Company may require an employee to work reasonable overtime.

11.3.2 Subject to clause 110.3.3, employees are entitled to the following payments for overtime worked calculated at their ordinary rate of pay:
(a) For hours worked in excess of ordinary hours (as set out in clause 11.1.1) or outside the span of hours (as set out in clause 11.1.2) - time and one half for the first 3 hours and double time thereafter.
(b) For overtime hours worked on a Sunday - double time for all overtime worked.
(c) For overtime worked on a public holiday or rostered day off ("RDO")RDO - double time and a half for all overtime worked.

11.3.3. The overtime rates in clause 11.3.2 do not apply where overtime hours are taken as time off work (i.e. RDO, flexitime, time off in lieu).

11.4 Payment for Saturday Work (excluding public holidays or rostered days off)

11.4.1 An employee who is rostered to work ordinary hours on Saturday will be paid an additional amount of 15% of the ordinary hourly rate for all ordinary time worked. Such work will be rostered initially on the basis of seeking volunteers. If sufficient volunteers are not available, the relevant manager will roster employees on an as needs basis.

11.4.2 An employee who is not rostered to work ordinary hours on Saturday will be paid at the normal overtime rate prescribed.

11.4.3 The 15% loading for Saturday work does not apply in the calculation of overtime payments.

11.5 Rest Relief

11.5.1 Employees will have at least 10 consecutive hours off duty (inclusive of travelling time) between the completion of a period of overtime and the re-commencement of work.

11.5.2 This requirement may be varied by the Company in emergency situations to enable the emergency to be brought under control.

11.6 Time Off in Lieu

11.6.1 With agreement of the relevant Manager, employees may choose to accept time off with pay at their ordinary rate equivalent to the hours actually worked as overtime.

11.6.2 Such time off must be taken at a time mutually agreed between the Company and the employee. 11.7 Overtime Meal Allowance
An employee is entitled to a meal allowance if:
(a) the employee is required to work a period of overtime which extends beyond the next scheduled meal break (i.e. 5 hours after the previous break); and
(b) the employee was not notified the previous day or earlier of the requirement to work overtime.

11.8 Variation to Flextime Provisions in Customer Call/Service Centres

11.8.1 The current Flexible Working Hours Scheme operating in Customer Call/Service Centres will be replaced with a committed scheduling arrangement, which incorporates pre-determined commencing and finishing times.

11.8.2 The scheduling arrangement may apply at the discretion of Company management immediately from the date of certification on the basis of balancing the needs of the business and the needs and preferences of employees.

11.8.3 The principles associated with the implementation of committed scheduling will be contained in Company policy.

11.9 Payment for Public Holidays and Rostered Days Off
Work rostered on a public holiday or RDO which is not in excess of an employee's ordinary hours of work will be paid at the rate of time and one half for the actual hours worked.

12. Shift Work

12.1 The closure, variation or initiation of a shift, or the transfer of employees on to, between or out of shifts,a shift may occur after a minimum seven days notice to the affected employees following the appropriate degree of consultation.

12.2 Employees who work a shift, any part of which falls outside the period 6.30 am to 7.00 pm Monday to Friday, will be paid an allowance of 15%.Shift loadings shall apply to all regularly rostered ordinary hours any part of which fall outside the span of ordinary hours 6.30am to 7.00pm, Monday to Friday.

13. Allowances

Immediately upon the certification of this Agreement the parties agree to apply to the CommissionAIRC for the variation of existing Awards and Agreements binding the Company to give effect to the following:

13.1 The allowances in Attachment 2# will be deleted from the applicable award(s). [Attachment to be provided by B Douglas].

13.2 The allowances in Attachment 3# will also be deleted from the applicable award(s) and the following consolidated single allowances included in the core award referred to in clause 8.2.
(i) Asbestos Allowance
An employee who is required to wear respiratory protective equipment while working in an area where asbestos is evident shall be paid an Asbestos Allowance at the rate of $1.19 for each hour worked in such an area.
(ii) Restriction Allowance
An employee required to stand by and be ready, willing and available to work outside ordinary hours shall be paid a Restriction Allowance at the rate of $70 per week, provided the employee is required to be on stand by on more than two days per week.
Where an employee is in such a restricted situation and is required to undertake work at Company or customer premises outside ordinary hours, normal overtime provisions will apply.
(iii) Height Allowance
An employee required to carry out upgrading work on a tower, mast, guy-rope and all Company-owned structures on the external faces of buildings and parafits, at a height of at least 15 metres for a minimum of two hours in any day, shall be paid a Height Allowance at the rate of $6 for each such day.
(iv) Linguistic Allowance
An employee who is directed to perform, in addition to their other duties, duties which consist of:
(a) translating speech or written material from one language to another; or
(b) communicating information to a disabled person by means of signs, and translating signs made by a disabled person, shall be paid, while the direction remains in force, a Linguistic Allowance of $521 per annum under the conditions specified in the Company's Human Resources Policy Manual. Provided that the allowance shall be paid at the rate of $1042 per annum where the employee concerned is accredited at Level 2 or higher by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.
(v) Camping
An employee who is required to camp out for the performance of their duties shall, in lieu of hotel/motel accommodation, be supplied with camp equipment by the Company.

14. Restrictions on Efficient and Flexible Work Practices

14.1 The parties are committed to implementing and pursuing work arrangements and practices which promote the efficient and flexible performance of work throughout the Company. One issue which has been considered for the purposes of this Agreement is the present limitation in awards and agreements on the number or proportion of employees the Company may employ in a particular type of employment (ie part-time employment).

14.2 This Agreement operates to override the provisions of any award which limits the number or proportion of employees who may be employed in particular types of employment.

15. Salary Increase/Conditional Cash Payment

15.1 Salary Increase
The Company will increase the salaries of employees covered by this Agreement by 2% per annum from the beginning of the first pay period commencing on or after the date tof certification of this Agreement is signed by all parties.

15.2 Conditional Cash Payment
A cash payment equivalent to a percentage of each employee's annual salary is payable on or after the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a) Degree of Achievement of Planned Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) for the Company's 1997/1998 Financial Year

Degree of  EBIT Achievement   Cash Payment
         (% of salary)
         92.5%        less than Y
          100%              Y
        107.5%        more than Y

16. Exclusions

16.1 The overtime provisions of clause 11 of this Agreement shall not apply to employees who receive a base salary of $51,190 pa or more or whose jobs involve managerial responsibility.

16.2 Employees whose remuneration is governed by individual contract or collective arrangements which provide for performance or incentive based reward are excluded from the operation of clauses 11 and 15 of this Agreement.