On the line and on the edge: Call centre report shows stress levels off the dial
The Australian Services Union (ASU) is today launching a national research report into Australian call centres. The research, which reports on the often unseen world of the call centre worker, reveals a fast growing industry which now employs nearly one in forty working Australians.
19 November 2009 [full story]
|
Call centre action month 2009: thousands of workers stand up for their rights globally
Thousands of workers from 20 unions in 20 countries on 6 continents made Call Centre Action Month a great success.
10 November 2009 [full story]
|
UNiTAB Call Centre – in the full glare of publicity
Workers at UNiTAB today will not only be helping punters with their betting requirements on the biggest race day of the year, but will also be using today to highlight some of the ongoing challenges faced by call centre workers in Australia.
03 November 2009 [full story]
|
Black and White Cabs now have a collective agreement
The Australian Services Union recently concluded negotiations for a Collective Agreement with Black and White Cabs. This Agreement is a first, and as such, a break through for Taxi Industry Call Centres in Queensland. It is the result of many months of hard work by ASU Delegates on behalf of members.
30 October 2009 [full story]
|
ASU joins Global Call Centre Action Month campaign
During October 2009 global union organisation UNI Global Union is coordinating an action month for customer service/call centre workers.
01 October 2009 [full story]
|
Nowra call centre ripping off employees
It’s a case of not-so-well-done at the Well Done Call Centre in South Nowra after it was revealed the centre’s 38 employees are being systemically underpaid, harassed and bullied by management.
21 July 2009 [full story]
|
Call Centre Survey winners announced: RACV, Brisbane City Council and Qantas Telesales workers win!
RACV consultant Andrea Platt is going to be busy over the next few weeks learning how to use her new Apple laptop after winning the top prize in the ASU’s national call centre campaign survey. Fellow call centre workers at Brisbane City Council and Qantas Telesales in Hobart claimed the second and third iPod prizes.
13 May 2009 [full story]
|
Call centre workers it’s your call - survey deadline looms
The deadline to complete the ASU’s “It’s your call” survey is 9am on February 27. The ASU wants to know how we can improve working in Australian call centres and we are asking all workers in the industry to tell us. You could also win a laptop or iPod by providing your feedback.
05 February 2009 [full story]
|
Union holds workplace blitz in Melbourne CBD to launch call centre campaign
About 100 union members will take to the streets in Melbourne’s CBD aided with calling cards and cup cakes and ring tones to launch a national call centre campaign today.
20 November 2008 [full story]
|
National Hearing Care call centre job agreement on hold after failing Workplace Authority test
The employment agreement offered to call centre and office workers at National Hearing Care in Melbourne and disputed by the ASU, has failed the Workplace Authority’s No Disadvantage Test.
25 September 2008 [full story]
|
Company flouts AWA reforms – union starts legal action and calls for retrospective legislation
The Australian Services Union (ASU) today criticised a taxpayer funded community sector call centre for underhanded tactics which flout the will of the Australian people. The ACE call centre, which is situated in the Prime Minister's own electorate, is continuing to offer AWAs to its staff despite the Rudd government's current efforts to abolish the use of AWAs. The company seems to be in denial that without federal government funding, the ACE call centre wouldn't exist.
15 February 2008 [full story]
|
Global study finds regulated in-house call centres are better
A major global study on call centres involving 17 countries and coordinated by Cornell University in the United States challenges perceptions of call centre management and employment. Evidence from the study reveals cost-focussed call centres create low quality jobs, customer dissatisfaction and employee turnover.
27 June 2007 [full story]
|
Brisbane call centre workers reject WorkChoices non-union agreement
Brisbane call centre Australian Communications Exchange (ACE) workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject the company’s attempt to impose a substandard WorkChoices non-union agreement on them.
24 April 2007 [full story]
|
Brisbane call centre bans workers from celebrating International Women’s Day and threatens jobs may be offshored
Brisbane call centre Australian Communications Exchange (ACE) has been caught out banning an International Women's Day (IWD) morning tea organised by workers for IWD today, 8 March 2007.
08 March 2007 [full story]
|
AIRC says ‘yes’ to ASU members in Optus
The ASU’s coverage of South Australian workers in the Optus call centre has now been officially recognised by the independent umpire, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), despite attempts by Optus to stop staff who are ASU members having their union recognised.
02 October 2006 [full story]
|
AGL to slash SA workforce
In yet another indictment of the privatisation of South Australia’s electricity industry AGL have today advised their SA based employees of their plans to cut 200 jobs or over 50% of their SA based workforce over the next 12 months. A number of jobs will be going as soon as October.
06 September 2006 [full story]
|
Enterprise bargaining process begins at Link
The ASU has surveyed Link workers in order to prepare a claim for management and kick off enterprise bargaining. Make sure you have your say and get involved in the process.
05 July 2006 [full story]
|
Optus call centre workers say "yes" to the ASU
Optus call centre workers in South Australia have voted overwhelmingly (65%) for the right to join the ASU. This was despite Optus management actively opposing staff having the right to choose.
24 November 2005 [full story]
|
Big win for call centre workers
A Full Bench of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), has handed down a decision which will make the Contract Call Centre Industry Award the minimum standard for call centre working conditions Australia wide.
23 August 2005 [full story]
|
Victory for call centre employees
A Full Bench of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, headed by the President, has handed down a decision which will make the Contract Call Centre Industry Award the minimum industry benchmark Australia wide for call centre workers.
22 August 2005 [full story]
|
Call Centre Award applies across Victoria
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission has declared the Contract Call Centre Industry Award apply across Victoria. The award will also apply as the safety net for labour hire providers in the industry.
16 August 2005 [full story]
|
Union Wins Wage Increases
The ASU has won the 2004 $19 national wage increase for employees covered by the Contract Call Centre Industry Award from the 1 September 2004. This decision also means an increase in allowances like Meal ($9.10) and First Aid ($10.90) which have also been increased to take account of the cost of living increases.
11 August 2004 [full story]
|
Call centre health and safety guide now available
A brand new guide to help improve occupational health and safety in call centres has recently been launched by the ASU after extensive trialling in a number of call centres.
13 April 2004 [full story]
|
Link Telecommunications Survey Results
Improving your wages and maintaining existing conditions is definitely on your agenda at Link Telecommunications! An overwhelming number (100%) of Link staff surveyed stated that you did not want to lose anymore conditions in the next round of Enterprise Bargaining, that a decent wage increase was well overdue and that better consultation with management on issues that affect you needs to occur.
02 April 2004 [full story]
|
New Virgin call centre award created
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) has handed down a decision to create a Virgin Mobile enterprise award with the ASU as the union party. The award will cover 150 to 200 customer contact call centre and administrative workers.
15 October 2003 [full story]
|
Call centre award breakthrough
The ASU, through an ACTU coordinated campaign along with the CPSU and NUW, has won an award for contract call centre workers. The Award was approved by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) on Friday, August 15, 2003.
20 August 2003 [full story]
|
Return from Delhi: Coles Myer work back in Australia
The outsourcing of the Coles Myer accounts work to Delhi, India, has been reversed. The call centre work has now been returned to the GE Capital Finance Centre in Melbourne after it was outsourced there over two years ago. ASU members work at GE Capital Finance.
21 July 2003 [full story]
|
ASU gets it on at Foxtel and Austar
After two long years of organising members at the Foxtel call centre in Melbourne and Austar call centre on the Gold Coast and putting our case in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), the ASU has now become a party to both the Foxtel and Austar awards.
30 May 2003 [full story]
|
Interim Award for contract call centre workers
The ASU, as part of the ACTU coordinated Call Centre campaign, has secured redundancy benefits, a disputes handling procedure, union access and traineeship entitlements for 5,000 employees of the largest contract call centres. This is as a result of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission approving the making of the Contract Call Centre Industry (Interim) Award 2002.
15 November 2002 [full story]
|
Pay TV appeal disconnected
The ASU’s coverage of workers in Austar and Foxtel call centres has once again been upheld. This is despite the recent appeal by the companies against a decision reached by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in May. A Full Bench of the AIRC threw out the appeal by the “Pay TV” operators earlier this week.
25 October 2002 [full story]
|
Leap forward in call centres
The ASU has made another significant move forward in our attempts to improve the wages and conditions of workers in the call centre industry. On May 30, the AIRC recognised the ASU’s right to represent the industrial interests of call centre workers at Foxtel and Austar, after the ASU had served a log of claims on the companies.
18 June 2002 [full story]
|
Call centre standards code
From Workplace Express, June 6, 2001
06 June 2001 [full story]
|
Anti-Charter seminars by legal firm
Union members have protested in Brisbane against a series of nation-wide seminars encouraging employers to oppose the Call Centre Charter.
23 March 2001 [full story]
|
WA Minimum Standards Code campaign
The ASU WA C&S Branch had a very successful week commencing on March 12, 2001, in the continuing development of the Call Centre Campaign.
19 March 2001 [full story]
|
Things are looking up on the dock
New call centre organiser with the NSW & ACT (Services) Branch, Mario, is interviewed by Workers Online.
17 February 2001 [full story]
|
ASU-Sitel agreement reached
ASU reaches another union agreement in the contracting call centre industry with giant Sitel.
01 January 2001 [full story]
|
People power delivers a fairer deal
A campaign by staff for a better enterprise agreement at Victorian contract call centre UCMS got results when they rejected the conditions put forward by their management and spoke out in favour of a better deal.
20 November 2000 [full story]
|
Casuals win right to part time work
The South Australian Industrial Commission has handed down its decision in a major test case recently run by the ASU in South Australia. More than 15,000 clerical and administrative workers in South Australia’s private sector are likely to be affected by the decision.
17 November 2000 [full story]
|
July 2000 Bulletin
A round up of news from ASU Branches around the country.
01 July 2000 [full story]
|
