The thing that did disappoint me with the CEPU was the fact that they would not back Australia's Telstra against foreign opponents for the winning of the National Broadband Network unless they were given a side agreement that had no benefit for their Members. Australian Unions should get behind and promote Australian companies in the knowledge that a more prosperous company can deliver better conditions for the employees.

Sydney unions don't care about Australian employees they only care about getting their ugly little faces in the media. They see the employees as too stupid to work out their own agreements with their employer, as far as they are concerned adults should not be aloud to make their own decisions. If they did they would no longer have the power to hold the country hostage. They are nothing more than greedy communists.

Since when has nowwearetalking been a soapbox for Telstra HR's views on unions? I think it was a few days ago. This re-launch of nowwearetalking is very disappointing ... and the fundamental point being made by this union is correct. Telstra HR has taken over the News items on nowwearetalking rather than sit down in face-to-face talks. Hey guys can we please get back to talking about technology and customers! That is what we all like about nowwearetalking.

Wouldn't it be just more sense to sit down and negotiate? Telstar should deliver better conditions for the employees and the best way to do that is to stop delaying the inevitable ... take notice of the employees wish to negotiate through their unions. It ain't rocket science, just a normal way of behaving. ps John Howard left the prime ministership and his seat last November

I respond to the criticism of the CEPU posted on your site within the last 24 hours. One of our officials correctly commented on the irony that the nowwearetalking website was being used by Telstra HR only a short time after they refused to talk to the unions about improving the rights at work and working conditions of Telstra Employees. Telstra HR may want to try to ridicule the CEPU by splitting hair over the words used by the CEPU official, but it is a fact of life that it appears that Telstra HR have commandeered the site in the last 24 hours; a site which until now and over a couple of years or so is supposed to have been a site for open general comment about broadband and telco regulation rather than a vehicle for use by HR or anyone else to make "political"comment for their own purposes. In that sense therefore it could easily be concluded that nowwearetalking had indeed become a new HR site couldn't it? It is a fact that Telstra HR "now are not talking" and therefore they are failing to ensure that employees wages, conditions and workplace rights have an opportunity to be upgraded both as a reward to employees for their efforts in making Telstra's profits what they are, and to modernise them in the new political environment in Australia. We have noticed over a long period of time that the nowwearetalking website used to find polls on selected issues useful (although that practice appears to have be been dropped in 2007 in the face of what might be considered to be some "unfavourable"poll results) therefore I would like to suggest that nowwearetalking/or not talking whatever the case may be, bring back the online poll and the question should be whether HR should return to the EBA negotiations with the unions. I think I read somewhere that HR was concerned that Telstra Employees should have their democratic right to vote on any new EBA agreement (and by the way so do I). A poll on whether HR should have walked out of the talks run on HR's newly commandeered communications vehicle would be a good test of everyones democratic credentials wouldn't it? Cheers Len Cooper CEPU Communications Division National President

Unions aren't perfect but they play an important role representing Telstra's staff in bargaining. HR has a team of hundreds, articles in newspapers, this website, unlimited newsletters etc etc. What do Telstra staff have? Each individual can rely on their track record of performance and confidence to negotiate, but basically only the union stands between them and Telstra HR getting completely their own way - reduced pay and conditions like redundancy and being given crazy targets that they can't meet. I am pretty surprised at this article and the picture you have chosen to run next to it. So Telstra's HR people think that unions are monkeys/stupid? These kind of cheap shots does not befit a big brand like Telstra.

I am actually quite glad telstra walked out on the talks. Yes, i work for telstra and yes I'm a union member. But from what i understand of the discussions, the unions were holding the EBA agreements to ransom to try and force Telstra to support the unions. This is illegal in an EBA, but the way around this was to have it forced in side agreeements which are not EBA's. this would be the start to making a Union only workplace, which I don't support, and besides which is immoral if not unlawful. Thanks Telstra for standing up for yourself against a dodgey bargaining position.

@Elizabeth: What is wrong with an employee relying on his or her track record to keep his or her job? Why should anyone need someone to stand between them and their employer? the system you refer to only protects sub standard workers from employers wanting their workers to do what they get payed for. BTW Elizabeth I think the monkey is referring to what ED feels the CEPU thinks of the NWAT forums. @Len:Just a short time ago Telstra had an employee engagement survey that allowed all Telstra employees to comment freely, frankly and if they wished, anonymously about issues they are having with the company. As to your comments RE "appears that Telstra HR have commandeered the site in the last 24 hours" THERE HAS BEEN TWO POSTS IN THE NEWS SECTION, there has been other similar reports from the unions point of view why cant Telstra use THEIR site to post THEIR views? @Blue Mountains: Telstra was sitting down with the unions. The reason the talks broke down is because Telstra refused to talk about matters not directly concerning Telstra employees. In fact rather than making deals to improve work conditions for their members the unions were trying to make illegal deals to improve their own political power. OK did you read that? ILLEGAL, as it not aloud by law, as in if Telstra were to continue talking about these things and made any agreements along the lines that the union reps wanted, Telstra may be fined and may permanently lose the chances of building the NBN. Would you like that Blue? would your fellow union members like that? @Judge: HR has posted 2 news articles. Perhaps its a slow news week? Perhaps if you looked through the rest of the site you would see that quite often there will be 3 or more stories dealing with the different aspects of the same story. It is a method used widely in online news forums to bulk up the site. As to the bit about sitting down face to face, if you read the above you will see the reason for Telstra leaving the table.

Len and Elizabeth how good it is to be able to freely communicate with each other in the spirit of problem solving and to the advantage of all Australians. Len I do admire the Union Movement when its leaders negotiate in the atmosphere of fairness and honesty. I have had the pleasure, privilege and honour to serve a large number of Australian workers as a representative on their Union Committee of Management. Our Union obtained for Members excellent working conditions, and organised to supply the service of an excellent and faithful work force to our Employer. During my twenty five years of service (and I put this down to excellent and sensible negotiation by Union and fair decisions by Management) little time was lost by silly argument or labour withdrawal. Len, as you would know the days of the stand-over/guerrilla tactics are over and Unions must debate on behalf of their Members with the guidance and co-operation of those Members. Every person is worth their hire and Management of industries must fulfil all lawful conditions and act with fairness and decency when considering their Employees. Elizabeth it was my understanding that the animal depicted in the article you mention was indeed intended to show the view that the Unions had of NWAT rather than the intention you expressed. It is sad to see Australians being guided to despise the Australian company they work for when with a little commonsense from all concerned all could work together for the betterment of all.

Len - with respect, if the CEPU was serious about negotiating employees' rights at work, then why did you allow the ACTU to insist on side agreements (which Telstra cannot sign due to its NBN commitments) as a prerequisite to actually *having* a substantive discussion about pay and conditions? It's all very well for you to recite your anti-WorkChoices talking points, but when you present a prerequisite which would automatically result in Telstra losing the NBN tender I don't think it should be a suprise to you that Telstra finds that position unacceptable. Happy for you to correct me if any of the above is inaccurate.