Striking sub-contractors working for Optus contractors BSA and Stream
Communications today rejected a proposal to come back to work.
Last Wednesday, Stream Communications received a list of claims
from sub-contractors which focused on rate and procedural issues,
according to Stream managing director Don Muirhead, who spoke to ZDNet.com.au this afternoon about the issue.
The executive said that the company
acknowledged and looked at the list on Thursday, but the majority
of its sub-contractors went on strike on Friday, refusing to carry
out any installations or maintenance they would normally do for
Optus customers.
No one has a bag of gold here.
Stream MD Don Muirhead
This morning, as far as Muirhead knew — he wasn't at the
meeting where negotiations took place — a forum of contractors working for both BSA and
Stream Communications rejected a proposal to come back to work. The
strike was based in NSW, he said, but added that it made no sense
for the other states to strike because they were already watching
the issue with interest, and any deal which was struck would be
national.
"We're trying to get our contractors to get back to work with
the commitment that we'll talk to suppliers and our client about
the issues that were raised," Muirhead said. Stream was meeting
daily with representatives from the contractors to quash rumours
through good communications and to work through the list of claims to
find a blend which fitted, he said.
However, finding the right solution would take time, while
Optus' customers were getting frustrated and no money was flowing
into anyone's coffers, according to Muirhead.
"I think it's in their best interest to come back to work,"
he said. "It's not helping anybody that these guys aren't
getting any revenue coming up to Christmas ... No one has a bag of
gold here."
Stream Communications and BSA were required under contract to
provide services to Optus, according to Muirhead, and if the
companies could not do that, Optus would find others who would.
"It's been the history of the industry that if any group
withdraws services, others are asked to come in," he said.
He asked contractors to come back to work so that a satisfactory
answer could be found. "The point has been made," he said. "Give
us some time."
