Telstra has forecast a one-off restructuring cost of between $200 million and $250 million associated with the cuts. While Brady said affected workers would receive an “industry-leading redundancy package”,including career transition support for six months,Communications Workers Union’s national assistant secretary James Perkins called the cuts a “national disgrace”.
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He said they would have a devastating impact not only on workers and their families but also on anyone who uses the telco’s services.
“You can’t slash thousands of jobs without seriously impacting the delivery of services across the country. Telstra has to answer to this,” he said.
“This has completely come out of the blue. There are going to be thousands of workers and their families terrified today about what this means for them and their future.
“Telstra workers deserve better than this and so do Telstra customers.”
Perkins added the union would be seeking meetings with Telstra on Tuesday and providing support to workers.
Luke Clifton,group executive of Macquarie Telecom,called the decision a “cheap,sinister move” that would worsen Telstra’s customer service standards.
“Telstra doesn’t believe in its staff or its customers – no wonder both are leaving in droves,” he said.
Telstra on Tuesday also reaffirmed its financial guidance,announcing that its underlying earnings before interest,tax,depreciation and amortisation in 2025 were predicted to be between $8.4 billion and $8.7 billion.