Almost 550 jobs at Telstra's two call centres in Queensland are "in the firing line" according to the Community and Public Sector Union, after the company announced it would cut a quarter of its workforce in the next three years.
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CPSU assistant state secretary Amy Smith said up to 400 Townsville jobs and 140 Maryborough positions were at serious risk as the telecommunications company planned to cut 8000 jobs in order to "eliminate customer pain points and create all digital experiences".
“The move to ‘all digital experiences’ won’t just be bad for consumers, it means a significant number of these job losses will be in regional locations that have Telstra call centres,” she said.
“The number one thing customers say to our members is that all they want when they have a problem with their Telstra service is to be able to ring an Australian call centre where a skilled person can help fix their problem.
"Corporations like Telstra have a responsibility to manage their workforce, plan for the future, and address challenges such as digital disruption, which requires a long-term plan that identifies jobs at risk and provides the skills and training employees need to shift into new roles."
Telstra chief executive Andy Penn said the company planned to "radically simplify and change the nature" of the telecommunications industry in Australia.
"The telecommunications sector has never been under more pressure with the development of the NBN, very significant increased competition and a lot of pressure to invest ... in these new technologies," he said.
"If we're going to be competitive, if we're going to deliver the sorts of products and services to our customers, if we're going to deliver for our shareholders, I have to be authentic and I have to be transparent that that's the scale of change that Telstra needs today."
Mr Penn added that there were no plans in place yet with regards to where the job cuts would be made, but emphasised the staff losses would be shared evenly.
"Obviously the unions have a role to play in terms of representing their members, we are already engaging with the unions, that's an important part of the overall process," he said.
“Broadly there is no particular bias towards onshore or offshore in these changes or regional versus metro in these changes, so I expect the mix to be broadly the same as it is today.
"This isn’t about offshoring, this is about taking simplification into the business, improving the service to our customers which will lead to a reduction in the number of roles."
The CPSU urged Communications Minister Mitch Fifield and Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash to take action by bringing Telstra management together with key stakeholders to work out an alternative.
Senator Fifield expressed his support for Telstra staff and said the telecommunications industry was constantly evolving and highly competitive.
"I’ve spoken to [Mr Penn] who has advised me that this is a matter that he’s very focused on. He appreciates that this is a difficult time for their staff," Senator Fifield said.
"Mr Penn has also advised me that Telstra will be putting in place a $50 million transition program to assist affected staff. These changes will occur over a number of years.
"It's important to recognise that our telecommunications companies operate in a highly competitive environment that is constantly evolving.
"That is indeed true for all Australian businesses, which is one of the reasons why we will continue to work hard to secure the passage of our company tax cuts.
"It's up to each telco business to make judgments as to the best way to meet the needs of their customers and the best way to satisfy their shareholders.
"Telstra has determined that this is the program that they will pursue to provide the service that their customers expect."
