Is Orange a lemon?

Date: 19 August 2001

In the wake of the One.Tel collapse, The Australian Services Union (ASU) has sought assurances from Orange - Hutchison Telecom that the staff entitlements of their nearly 2,000 strong Australian workforce are secure.

The ASU has acted following two months of late payment of commissions and other entitlements owed to staff.

ASU Victorian President, Martin Foley, said "In circumstances where this company is grappling with a shake out in the industry, a plunging share price, a $90M loss in the last financial year - and now the withholding of payments to staff for the second consecutive month - you have to ask, how safe are the workers entitlements?"

"We have sought urgent assurances from Orange Hutchison that their business is viable, our members' entitlements are secure. We are still waiting for undertakings that they are able to meet all their obligations to staff,"

Mr Foley said: "This is further evidence of the need for call centre workers to be protected by awards and unions. It is further evidence, if it was needed, of the inadequacies of the federal governments workers entitlements protection system whereby the tax payer funds bad business and workers still lose most of their entitlements. - unless your boss is John Howard's brother."

"Employers must be made to secure entitlements by way of joint employer - worker trusts. It is workers money that they have a right to. We cannot afford to stand by and wait for another One.Tel."

The ASU statement comes after comments by the ACTU President Sharron Burrow on today's "Meet the Press" where Orange (Hutchinson Telecommunications Aust) was raised as a case as to why the Federal Government should move to act on securing Workers entitlements.

For further information

Contact:	Jason Gibson
Union:	Australian Services Union - Vic MEU Private Sector Branch
Phone:	03 9342 3418
Contact Mobile:	0418 100 319
Fax:	03 9342 3499
Email:	jgibson@meupsvic.asu.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.asuvic.org

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