The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) was in meetings with Australia's second largest telco yesterday afternoon, in which it expressed concerns over the selection process that led to the termination of 244 full-time jobs and up to 100 contract workers.
-We would like to see it [selection] modified to make it more humane," CEPU NSW communications division assistant secretary Mark Brownlow, told ZDNet Australia. "Optus should look for volunteers first before they go tapping people on the shoulder, but they've rejected that...they seem to be comfortable with what they're doing."
Yesterday's action was the first round of dismissals which will be followed by a second in about four weeks time, with the next stage of layoffs to be of the same order of magnitude as the initial cull.
However, yesterday's retrenchments hit staff in the telco's sales, marketing and human resources trenches -- a growth division of the business, according to Brownlow. -If they're cutting in that area we expect larger cuts in other divisions," he said, adding that the Union estimates that 20 percent of the sales, marketing and human resources division was slashed.
If that is replicated in a further 20 percent cut across the rest of the business, -this is going to be bigger than One.Tel," Brownlow added.
One.Tel slashed about 1400 positions after it wound up its business earlier this year.
The CEPU, which has an award with Optus and an agreement in place that sets down what worker entitlements are, said it is confident that all worker entitlements will be paid.
-We have no reason to doubt that Optus workers made redundant won't be paid their entitlements," Brownlow said, adding that Optus has implemented a program to help workers find redeployment, offered counselling and a resume building service to retrenched staff.
Optus has been contacted for comment, but has so far failed to respond.
optus is a amateur company with little to no business sense, being led by incompetant upper management that has no foresight!