Telecom customers face delays as contractors go on indefinite strike
Around 100 Transfield staff on Auckland’s North Shore have downed tools. The technicians are among around 900 Transfield and Downer EDI staff being offered owner/operator contracts by Visionstream, which is taking over Telecom contract work in the city.
EPMU national secretary Andrew Little told NBR that the striking staff would meet each day to access their situation. At present, they have no plans to return to work. Mr Little said the key issue is around 170 Transfield staff being sent redundancy notices: “It’s a Mexican stand-off”. Transfield staff who fear redundancy - or are made redundant - are more likely to sign Visionstream owner/operator contracts, said Mr Little.
The EPMU represents around 500 of the affected 900 workers, either through direct union membership, or through contracts to negotiate on an individual’s behalf. The striking workers represent around a third of Transfield’s staff in Auckland.
Downer staff, who cover most of the city, have not walked off the job. NBR understands that they already have a redundancy clause in place, despite a five-year battle to get one in place.
The walk-out follows a stop-work meeting at Auckland's Alexandra Park on Tuesday, part of a series that will also include meetings in Northland, and Wellington - where Downer staff are being offered owner/operator contracts (as part of the redrawing of Telecom's contractor map sparked by Visionstream's entry, Downer is taking over the capital from Transfield).
Telecom Chorus spokesman Robin Kelly said he could understand that the Transfield workers could want “the comfort of a redundancy clause with a new contractor coming into the market”.
Chorus - Telecom’s networking division - is talking to Visionstream, said Mr Kelly, and hopes to help it resolve its union problem.
Mr Kelly encouraged the striking workers to talk directly to Visionstream “because it is a proven model [in Australia] and there’s a long, rewarding future in this industry, which is booming.”
But until a resolution is reached, Telecom has put steps in place to minimise disruption.
Mr Kelly said Chorus does three things: service existing customers, connect voice and broadband for new customers, and build networks. While the strike is one, repairing faults for existing customers will be prioritised, and new customers could see delays in provisioning.
Chorus’ roadside cabinet roll out programme would not be affected, said Mr Kelly.
Today's strike is the second during parallel negotiations over new collective contracts, and Visionstream and Downer's mooted owner/operator contracts. Transfield staff called a 24-hour nationwide strike on July 24 to protest the stalled negotiations.
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Comments and questions104
Way does these issues always crop up with Telecom every 5 years or so,its not like they dont make a profit. And why change their name to chorus are they toy get the public on side?
Robin should come down to earth level and be a man and come and talk directly to the effected workers of the bad and unproffitable contract VISIONSTREAM is offering,not hide behind VISIONSTREAM and make allthese stupid comments that this model works,because we are leasing with the contractors on the ground in AUSTRALIA they dissagree,thats why they complained to the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN oz.I challange you ROBIN,COME TALK TO THE WORKFORCE.
About time, good on you guys, Mr Kelly start leasing your company car and pay for your own laptop and all your office furniture, plus 10 mil in liabilty insurance, dont forget all your pens and then set aside your acc , tax , gst , and provisional tax payments, plus your running costs oh yeah also your mobile and wireless connections and running costs, car insurance, tool insurance and hope to see some work TO MAKE A DECENT LIVING, sign a contract with penalty clauses and no guarentee of work and everything in visionstreams favour and see how you LIKE IT.
The depredation of the industry continues... since privatisation of the nations telecom network there has been a continual and deliberate eroding of network investment. This has resulted in a workforce that has had to suffer greater responsibility for less renumeration, poorer training and support not to mention the numerous restructurings, redesignations and rebrandings which have continued to threaten the careers and livelihoods of the industries technicians. All the while the hourly rates that were once comparable to similar trades have been slowly but surely squeezed by the will of telecom to an hourly rate that now only befits that of a skilled laborer.
This has been a progression that has been occurring for years, where has that left the country and its consumer? The answer to that is apparent. We have a network that went from state of the art to museum exhibit. ignorance to this fact now means that in an age where information and communications are essential to supporting a healthy economy we now find ourselves in a recession with an embarrassment of a network forming one of the corner stones of our economy.
This is not an issue that affects a few lowly telecom workers, instead every New Zealander and our economy as a whole.
All the while telecom and its shareholders have made record profits. The cost of allowing this gorging of the telecommunications industry has left the industry and country in a sorry state.
This strike will not end until Visionstream are gone.
Let see how supportive you all are when computers and phones break down.
good on ya guys.it wont take long before you will get what you want.at the vs meetings in northland has been a chorus representative and from my contacts he has been getting the sharp end of the stick.stay out until you win.any customers wanting to support the guys ring telecon faults and report an intermittent fault such as one ring only .i do not work for any telecommunication company so do not blame any of them,this is my way of supporting the guys and putting pressure on tele con.
Seems to me the Labour parties fingerprints are all over the strike with the La bour president wearing a different hat.
SENATE EMPLOYMENT, WORKPLACE RELATIONS AND EDUCATION LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Reference: Independent Contractors Bill 2006; Workplace Relations Legislation
Amendment (Independent Contractors) Bill 2006
THURSDAY, 3 AUGUST 2006 CANBERRA
Ms Eason - In our view, quite clearly Visionstream would not have been caught in any way by the sham arrangements provisions.
It depends, I suppose, on what you call a sham.
Quite clearly, Visionstream decided to take its full-time employees and turn them into subcontractors in order to beat down the price of labour.
They knew that is what they were doing and those people had no choice because, essentially, they had no other form of employment.
Again, we come back to the concentrated form of the industry; there were not another 20 companies who were doing work on broadband roll-out.
They were dependent; they were vulnerable; they had their conditions undermined, and those conditions have continued to be progressively undermined, as we traced in our House of Representatives submission.
If you look at the sham arrangements provisions, there was nothing to stop that.
It was not perhaps fraudulent in any kind of gross and palpable way, which is what the sham arrangement provisions really address.
Did Visionstream knowingly put to these people a proposition that they knew would be to their disadvantage, as we say here: working on piece rates?
Visionstream wrote on the whiteboard, ‘Here’s how you can make a fortune.’
Was that fraudulent?
That depended on how many jobs per week, per month, those people got.
When it came down to it, they did not find themselves getting that.
Five years later they are squeezed to the point of poverty.
http://www.aph.gov.au/Hansard/senate/commttee/S9579.pdf
In many parts of Australia subbies are refusing to sign up to unacceptable, inferior contracts for Telstra work.
Would anyone be surprised by this?
Not only have subbies had their remuneration cut in real terms year after year, but the unfair treatment they suffer in many cases is an absolute disgrace.
For example:
- forced to do unpaid work
- forced to work unsafe hours
- refusals by some Managers to honor certain aspects of the contracts
- threats and bullying about, NO work, if subbies complain or object
- changes to the contract in the middle of the contract
http://www.cepu.org/ebul/telco/4.pdf
Here we go Profits overseas, send our money offshore.Make our men leave and go offshore. Wonderful stuff.Our chaps need decent working conditions.Import foreign workers, telecom technicians fro Phillipines , Zambia , where ever, and hope thet will give Kiwis job security . What a mess.Electricirt, water, roads, wilsons parkein, Airports , harbours, Kiwi Rail all , yes sell them off, so we Kiwis can suffer even worse .Time we gottoen our New Zealand act together and watched what we are doing to our belovered land. Sell it off here we go. In case government does not know telecomunication IS a strageic asset and it shpuld be cared for. Some new chaps already on the job are struggling with the wiring colour , let alone sopeaking understanderable English.
Third world conditions , here we come. Economy too smalll to take chances.
I am sick of being ripped off by TELECOM , are you?Their overpriced cell rates, look at 2 degrees, half their price, and the exorbitant money they have sucked out of kiwis / businesses for years,the way they treat their customers and staff..Expecting their workers to take a 60% pay cut with their dependent operator model. Haven't they made enough out of us, and now their new $25 ,000,000 central auckland building..Their new operating model will run down the network and effect broadband performance and our business performance for the next 10 years..I am sick of the word for corporate greed: TELECOM NZ[american]
Labour Party to that person above. This is about workers & being able to make a living. Not get into debt to make less than minimum wage. To have no rights. To own their own business but not be allowed to run it like their own business.
Good on you guys! Stay Strong!
Telecom have traumatised you guys long enough!
What a lot of PR bull Robyn Kelly speaks.
Robyn ,come and take responsibility, Come and HEAR the guys, not hide behind the skirts of yet another contracting company.
WHY should these guys in affect have to BUY THEIR JOBS BACK?!!!
You Guys WILL have SUPPORT from ALL the TECHS across NZ!!
There is action planned right across NZ.
SO TELESCUM up your CHORARSE!!
Stay Strong! Dont fall for any of Telecoms PR Bull.
You have a lot of SUPPORT out there.
Telecom Facts.
1,750,000 Fixed lines @ $43pm = $75,250,000.00
815,000 Broadband @ $40pm = $32,600,000.00
1,500,000 (approx) Wiring Maintainence Surcharge @ $2.48pm = $3,720,000.00
Generating $111,570,000.00 per month for Telecom
or $1,338,840,000.00 per year.
Chorus CEO Mark Ratcliffe Salary 2008
Base Salary (Paid 2008) $622,077.00
+ Annual Cash Incentive (Paid 2008) $527,275.00
+ Annual Cash Incentive (Earned 2008 - Paid 2009) $367,023.00
+ Long Term Incentive $250,000.00
Total Salary 2008 - $1,766,386.00
Chorus only has a staff of 148 as of June 2008.
Chorus relies on Transfield & Downer to maintain the network until now. No strikes, reasonable conditions, fair employers.
Without these line technicans building and maintaining the cables in the ground that carry our voice calls, our broadband, our eftpos, our emails, our faxes, etc, etc.
how is Telecom & Mark Ratcliffe making all that cash?
Is Mark Ratcliffe and Chorus out of touch with the reality because of the massive amounts of money they make?
Maybe Visionstream is doing New Zealand a favour.
Because of Visionstream, New Zealand is about to take a closer look at who's ripping off who in this country.
2 Degrees has shown us the rip off going on in Mobile.
Now Visionstream is going to highlight the ripoff going on in the rest of Telecom's market.
Facts from Telecom Annual Report 2008 & Commerce Commission.
i have sent a complaint to telecom via the complaints section on their website.as a member of the public it is my right and i urge others to do the same.
What are you on about Telecom Researcher? Telecom invited Visionstream here. How are they going to highlight the ripoff within Telecom?!
The only ones getting ripped off are the Techs!
They work a 7 day a week roster and yes, Christmas Day as well, in all weathers,snow included to bring you the ability to communicate.
They have been ripped off for years,now on nothing better than labourers wages and feeling totally demoralised for all the years of loyalty and passion they have shown their employers.
Believe me these Techs are passionate about their jobs and their customers and only want a fair deal.
Visionstream is just another company Telecom have bought in to erode their working conditions even further.
At the moment Auckland and North land but if allowed in it will creep its way across the Country.
Are you prepared to let go of all our experienced Techs who in effect have to buy their jobs back if they go with Visionstream?
Most will walk away from the industry taking with them precious knowledge.
So No I dont agree with you that visionstream is here to highlight anything except be in bed with Telecom.
What are you on about Telecom Researcher? Telecom invited Visionstream here. How are they going to highlight the ripoff within Telecom?!
The only ones getting ripped off are the Techs!
They work a 7 day a week roster and yes, Christmas Day as well, in all weathers,snow included to bring you the ability to communicate.
They have been ripped off for years,now on nothing better than labourers wages and feeling totally demoralised for all the years of loyalty and passion they have shown their employers.
Believe me these Techs are passionate about their jobs and their customers and only want a fair deal.
Visionstream is just another company Telecom have bought in to erode their working conditions even further.
At the moment Auckland and North land but if allowed in it will creep its way across the Country.
Are you prepared to let go of all our experienced Techs who in effect have to buy their jobs back if they go with Visionstream?
Most will walk away from the industry taking with them precious knowledge.
So No I dont agree with you that visionstream is here to highlight anything except be in bed with Telecom.
We WONT work on dependent contracts.
Telecom can not function without us.
They have forced us into a tough situation.
We have had enough of their arrogance.
We have the upper hand.
We will win.
Waikato Supporter you misunderstood what I meant.
I was highlighting that by Visionstream trying to bring in the sub contractor model, which has failed in Australia, it is actually bringing to peoples attention the rip off that has been going on for years in NZ.
NZ'ers are paying top dollar for their Telecommunications services & Telecom/Chorus make huge profits, pay their CEOs multi million dollar salaries while at the same time reducing the pay and employment conditions for the people who actually put the cables in the ground and connect the services that make them all the money.
In this time of global recession Telecom has the money and the ongoing projects to keep us all employed, yet they choose to screw us. Why? What have we done wrong? People, I beg you, email or write to your members of parliament and instruct them to lobby for our rights as Kiwi employees to earn a decent living. We voted for them, now it is their turn to represent us.
The failing and flawed business model that Telecom has had in place ever since the breakup that kept our wages low through numerous contract tenders The misleading comments made by Chorus and VS about the newly intoduced scheme and its many benefits to the public and the contractors, are laughable because they are so unbelievable that they themselves no longer believe them! We will not accept working for contractors or being forced into starting up a business doomed from the onset.
This article makes it sound like the strike is about redundancy payout that is very far from the truth!
Get ready Telecom, your evil plan has utterly failed and we, the skilled workforce that makes the whole countrys telecommunication network tic, are about to reclaim what is rightfully ours, First World wages and First World benefits!!!
Bravo! perfectly stated!
all telco workers
your comments & feelings regarding the visionstream conflict required here please for further action by site owner.
http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2009/08/03/steven-joyce-has-a-problem/
All telco workers your comments required please on this link for action by site owner
http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2009/08/03/steven-joyce-has-a-problem/
Hey guys, this discussion is great but you are preaching to the converted.
You need to get it out to the rest of the world!
Email your concerns to your employer, telecom, visionstream, local newspapers, members of parliament, family and friends.
When you get the word out there it will continue to spread.
One visionstream person said to me if he hears one argument he can ignore it but if he hears several arguments he has to look into it. Same goes for everybody you contact. Lets give them 10000 reasons why we deserve to keep our jobs.
Time is running out brothers, act now.
We are being rip off.Customer pay too much for service from their failing network.We Tech. are also ripped off by low pay and even low if we accept to work fir this new company Visiontream.
Around $34,000 BEFORE tax .
Downer is offering tech. in Wellington a BASE WAGE OF $35,000 before tax for a 40hr week. or codes.whichever is higher.
Still this is 30% less than what they earn now.
Visionstream Dont Chorus we will call you
visions of a stream of profits.wake up leightons and telecon,the dream is over,the nightmare begins.
well done to you all my transfield brothers the opinion of us ngapuhi downers was to walk tues(last) no more of this bitch slapping a knee in the nuts is required they have shown their hand now we must be united to show not only telecom but the other patches having meetings this is real this is now this is us.there is no job without us and there is no job if we dont win.this is the fight of our lives (very true in some cases)at 50 worked all my life i will have to sell everything i wont lrt someone take whats mine without a fight kia kaha
Again we are being lead by a few moaners that no matter what happens they think the employer owes them a living. Wrong !!!.
Be thankful there is an alternative offer on the table in these times. I have been in the same situation but got off my arse and moved on.!!!
Ka taea e tātau tēnei, mehemea ka whakakotahi tātau i a tātau. Thank you for your support. You are right. This is the fight of our lives.
by anonymous. You have no idea about this obviously. If you think this is about an employer owing us a living you are insane.
this is in relation with Lindsy "the racist,kluklux clan lover ass wipe". The problem is not about the technicians you short sighted confederate dick sucker. Its about the people who sells the key assets of the country and their bad decision. Its better to shut up and stop your incest with your uncle. Learn your grammar you self righteous loser. And also to the one who comment about Labour fingerprint all over the rallies. people don't care about parties. its all about jobs. people are losing their jobs and no one listen. and the people who doesnt listen didnt know the families that are going to starve,and dreams been broken. most importantly is their right of decent living. so stop smoking dope and taking meth.its just paranoa.to those racist out their.go home and hang yourself after burning your house. good idea eh!
what few moaners anon.500 moaners.plus more every day.why are they moaning.ask yourself.all they want is the same conditions they are on now.they dont want anything else.they certainly dont think the employer owes them a living and if you think that then you woefully uninformed.do your research and honestly ask yourself would you enter into a contract that you will have to go into debt for with no gaurentee of work.the first line of the contract says that .who would spend a minimum of 20-30,000$ with that line.the alternative presented is sign or leave.hang in guys the battle is on.
Anyone having a problem with us filipinos? I am against vision stream as well and telecom dirty tricks. Do you think you are better than us technically Lindsay? THe equipments used here are for museums display only in other countries.And still telecom charge us with a high price. Lindsay if you got some balls,open it up in the union meetings that you hate us coming here. We'll show you how to pick your own teeth on the ground. Ill second the motion at the comment above. IF you hate other races,tell it to the meetings my brave man. Let see what happens to you puto!
BROTHERS: We are all together in this. There's a yank, filipinos, sth africans, poms, scots, kiwis & more. We all work as hard as each other & care the same about the integrity of the network.
Don't start bickering or divided we fall. That's what No-Visionstream wants us to do.
My apologies brother. I just can't take people thinking they are greater than anyone else. We will continue to fight. for everyone else,for anyone who are degrading the work conditions. specially equal rights and conditions of work. we will not stop. we will be on the streets. even they send us home. we don't want the things to happen to you that happened to us. Politicians,private entities,and people dictated by greed. Once again I apologize Rangitoto.
That's ok 3 stars & a sun. I know what you mean. We are thankful to have all of you Filipinos in this fight!
Let's hope Downer get on board on Mon with the strike action already taken by Transfield.
Chorus giving this contract to Visionstream is the biggest charade ever pulled. Downer and Transfield must have been in the "loop" as it is strange how restoration dispatch shifted to Christchurch with regards to Transfield and both Auckland and Wellington Dispatch closing. They would have all gained a massive bonus or a free overseas trip for keeping it quite and then the big annoucement about Visionstream getting the Northern patches but by then all was in place to let it happen!! They are all in bed together and it is high time the smile was wiped from their faces!!!!! A government inquiry is what is required as the corrupt practices will continue unless exposed. So blatant are they that now you have to basically buy your own job while they gather bonuses that only we who carrying the shovels , do the work should have had filter down to us in any democratic society. The fight has just begun!!!!
O.K YOU ARE 40+ MORGAGE FREE WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO START A BUSINESS YOU CANNOT SELL, EVERYTHIN YOU BUY WILL DEPRECIATE ECEPT THE INTEREST ON ANY LOANS.. COM ON IT NOT DIFFICULT TO WORK OUT
STAY STRONG STAND TOGETHER
Dont listen to those negative comments from Stop Moaning. Everyone is united in this. Us wife's are with you guys 100%. I have watched my husbands job go from a respectable profession where he had pride to a low paid laborers position.
Telecom STOLE from my family not only a decent wage but also self-respect.
They grind us down year after year.
This last arrogant tactic of theirs is it for us!!
WE ARE FIGHTING BACK!!
No more lining the pockets of the management at our expense!
All we want is a fair deal,show some integrity to your loyal workforce.
LOOK OUT TELECOM OR YOU WILL HAVE THE WIFE'S OF YOUR WORKFORCE TO DEAL WITH AS WELL YET!!
YAY! *waves to Mad Wife* I'm with you too. I am a wife of a Tech & feel the same way. Where abouts are you? I am on the shore. The guys protested today outside No-Visionstream & then TVNZ.
am bouyed each time i log on to this site passions are high on both sides debate love it its healthy its smart its raw ...but only when the truth is allowed out freely not coerced stiffled altered and that my brothers is what is happening here we are constantly in the dark drip fed titbits of lies @ untruths they remind me of a very younger drunken self saying anything to get laid to any girl who will listen . telecom listen to the workers
And comment here if you are affected by Telecoms dirty tricks.
http://www.telecommunicationsreview.co.nz/200908063427/striking-workers-protest-chorus/visionstream-contract.php#josc196
Right on Sister. Its about time our voices are heard.
Over the many years I have washed and ironed uniforms for
Connectel, Cable craft, Indeserve, Alstom, Areva and Transfield.
My Hubby would come home and say Telecom have now signed up with this company etc.
We just sucked it up and he put on the next uniform, at the same time watching conditions erode away.
WELL,I AIN'T WASHING NO VISIONSTREAM UNIFORM!
I do not believe all your comments about being in the"loop" Centralising dispatch was a political move by the National operations manager.Ask yourself where good Mr Lockwood is.There are people in Chorus that were as shocked as everyone else when this was anounced.Also lets not forget about Wellington.
Overseas I beleave just now.
check out the last paragraph http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2009/08/06/1245c15c735a
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