Telecom 'lucky' during strike

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

UNHAPY: Striking Telecom engineers making their way around along Wellington's waterfront to the Telecom building on Jervois Quay.

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A strike by hundreds of telecommunications engineers enters its second day today.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national organiser Joe Gallagher said most of the 900 engineers employed by Transfield Services and Downer EDI who downed tools yesterday were due to return to work tomorrow. But members were "more resolute than ever" and further action was possible.

The strike is in support of the union's claim for redundancy entitlements for members who lose their jobs or are forced to work as independent contractors because of changes to Telecom's outsourced, 2500-strong field services force.

Telecom network arm Chorus awarded business worth about $3 billion over 10 years to Transfield and Downer and a new contractor, Australian firm VisionStream, last month. Visionstream will take responsibility for servicing customers in Auckland and Northland and is pressing for engineers to work as self-employed contractors.

EPMU national organiser Joe Gallagher said its members had agreed to ensure emergency services were not directly affected by the industrial action, but unfixed faults were "backing up" on Telecom's network.

During a one-day strike last month, members had attended callouts for a cancer patient and a customer who was registered with MedicAlert.

Engineers spent a lot of time patching up Telecom's "aging network" and many would be forced out of the industry by the changes Telecom was trying to impose, he said.

Chorus spokesman Robin Kelly played down the impact of the strike. Telecom had planned for the action and was prioritising jobs to fix internet and phone faults, he said. There might be delays connecting residential customers with new phone and internet connections.

"We have been lucky. It is winter, we have managed the fault volumes quite effectively, and it has been pretty good weather, which has a significant impact for us."

Mr Gallagher said a resolution could be reached if Visionstream reconsidered its strategy of contracting engineers, rather than employing them. "The parties could sit down and agree on a wage model." The striking workers did not want to be forced into being company directors, "worrying about company minutes and being exposed to liabilities", he said. "[These are people] who understand how to work on telecom lines. They don't want to be business people."

A VisionStream spokesman said the company was pleased with the response it had received from engineers and was not considering changing its business model.

Chorus said the changes were necessary for it to keep its promise to deliver "a world-class network".

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