IRC intervenes on behalf of workers in Telstra dispute

Round one of the fight between Telstra and the ACTU has seen the trade union claim victory after the Industrial Relations Commission suggested the telco had not engaged in genuine workplace negotiations.

Round one of the fight between Telstra and the ACTU has seen the trade union claim victory after the Industrial Relations Commission suggested the telco had not engaged in genuine workplace negotiations.

The victory however was short lived; with Telstra today launching legal action against the ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence and a range of unions. Telstra will seek a Federal Court injunction to prevent what it is calling “false and misleading statements” by the union and Mr Lawrence in particular regarding Telstra’s proposed agreement with staff.

After mediation with the Industrial Relations Commission, the ACTU had hoped that Telstra would be ready to negotiate. Further developments are4 expected.

Source: The Australian