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As 300 of Telecom’s lines engineers find themselves redundant the company’s new Auckland and Northland contractor, Visionstream, has started advertising paid permanent positions for lines engineers through Work and Income.The takeover comes as hundreds of EPMU members refuse to lose income and forfeit their employment rights by signing up to the Visionstream contract.
The workers are, according to the NZ Herald, “rightly concerned that the new offer put before them is unfair in that it doesn't guarantee any base level of work, requires them to be available 7am-7pm making them dependent - rather than independent - contractors, and reduces their income to around $25,000.”
Around 400 migrant workers stand to lose jobs as a result of telecoms union-busting policies. Half of the affected workers are Filipinos and the rest are British, South Africans and Fiji Indians. Many are on work permits and could not become self employed dependent contractors, even if they wished to.
Migrante Aotearoa National Coordinator Dennis Maga says in the latest issue of Kapatiran (the PSNA Newsletter) that "It's unfortunate that while Government and some employers are trying to ease impacts of the recession, Telecom chose a business model that doesn't offer a fair deal for Kiwis and migrants”.
Unique among transnational’s operating in New Zealand Telecom has won the Roger Award twice, firstly in 2004 and again in 2007 , and been a finalist every year since the Awards’ inception. A sterling record only surpassed by Tranz Rail which has won on three occasions an achievement recognised by its installation as the first occupant in the Hall of Shame.
Both Telecom and Tranz Rail share the ignominy of having been established at taxpayers’ expense before being handed to privateers who reaped massive profits by exploiting their respective monopoly positions – a practise that has earned Telecom “Special Award for Monopoly Profiteering” in 2003.
You’ll find the entire Kapatiran article here and can download the WRC Telecom flyer here
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