Cyclone Telstra Hits Townsville

Date: 07 April 2000

Telstra staff who cut off from work by floodwater that hit Townsville with Cyclone Tessi this week have been denied special leave by management and told to take 'recreational leave' or leave without pay' instead.

With power to the North Queensland city cut off, the sales staff, were called at home and summonsed to work, despite the flooding and the fact that schools and child care centers were closed.

The move, the latest in a series of anti-worker actions by management, has added fire to growing unrest by workers within the organization.

Community and Public Sector Union Queensland secretary Bill Marklew says the normal practise in these circumstances would be for an employer to allow staff to take emergency leave, special leave or carers' leave.

"Here was a chance for Telstra to recognize the work it's staff had done over the last 12 months in securing $11 million a day profit for the corporation," Marklew says. "But now it has turned out that Telstra wants to save even more money at the expense of its staff!"

For further information

Contact:	Peter Lewis
Union:	Labor Council of NSW
WWW:	http://www.cpsu.org

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