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Airline call centre workers in Australia face onslaught of new anti-worker laws
24 August 2006
Australian call centre workers employed by a German airline’s subsidiary are being forced out of a collective agreement that does not expire until December 2006 and on to individual contracts. The move comes in the wake of new anti-union workplace laws pushed through by the Australian government.
The new contracts impose on employees of Global Tele Sales, a subsidiary of the German airline Lufthansa, pay cuts of between eight and 15 per cent, as well as poorer working conditions. These include penalties for taking sick and carer’s leave, no guaranteed wage increase for the life of the individual employment agreement and a refusal by the company to negotiate with staff over the terms of the contract.
The ITF-affiliated Australian Services Union, representing the workers, which has attempted in vain to enter into discussions with the employer over the contract, is calling for solidarity action to help turn around the situation.
Ingo Marowsky, ITF Civil Aviation Section Secretary commented: “German workplace laws would never allow Lufthansa to get away with such behaviour if it treated head office staff in the same way. It’s a scandal that it is treating Australian workers differently. The company should withdraw its substandard individual contracts immediately and sit down around the negotiating table with the union.”
To support the workers by sending a message to the company, visit www.labourstart.org.
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