Telstra finally admits job cuts

After weeks of lame denials Telstra has finally admitted it is planning job cuts in the thousands.

The telco's finance director John Stanhope has admitted plans to cut about 3000 jobs next financial year as part of an ongoing drive to boost productivity.

Telstra last week denied Labor claims it would cut its 40,000-plus workforce by 5 to 10 per cent - or up to 4000 positions - and slash capital spending by up to 20 per cent.

But Telstra officials have conceded about 3000 jobs would be lost next year as part of the company's productivity drive, although they said no specific targets had been set.

Stanhope said the company would have shed about 2800 full-time staff by the end of June this year as it moved to boost productivity by 7 per cent.

And he said next year would be about the same, subject to the Telstra board approving the company's business plan.

"It's approximately the same number as last year," Stanhope told a Senate estimates committee hearing.

Asked if that was about 3000 full-time staff, he said: "yes".

The committee heard Telstra had shed 11,423 jobs in the three years to April 2003.

About one in five of the positions lost this year had been in country areas, 1500 from the network area, 210 from marketing, 400 from business and government and 300 from finance and administration.

Telstra also said it had reaped an extra $204 million in revenue from line rental increases in the nine months to March but refused to give an estimate for the full year.

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.
Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the Good Gear Guide newsletter.
Computerworld Staff

Computerworld Staff

Computerworld
Show Comments

Most Popular Reviews

Latest Articles

Resources

PCW Evaluation Team

Cate Bacon

Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.

Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti

Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.

Tom Pope

Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.

Tom Sellers

MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.

Lolita Wang

MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.

Featured Content

Product Launch Showcase

Don’t have an account? Sign up here

Don't have an account? Sign up now

Forgot password?