Telstra to cut 1,100 operations jobs

Telstra will cut approximately 1,100 jobs from its operations division by June 2014 as part of the restructure of the business announced in May this year.

The new operating model sees operations split into five groups: IT solutions, Networks, Customer Service Delivery, National Broadband Network (NBN), and Network Applications and Services (NAS).

The restructure was said to impact half of all 30,170 Telstra employees, but today, the company announced that 1,100 positions would be cut from Telstra.

The job cuts will come through a "consolidation" of fixed network technicians in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland; a review of the media operations team; and a restructure of the customer service delivery team.

Telstra's chief operating officer Brendon Riley said that the reduction would decrease Telstra's operations workforce by around 6 percent, but did not include growth in the NAS division, including the 300 to 400 jobs expected to be added as part of the large Department of Defence contract.

Staff members were briefed on the planned cuts before the public announcement, and Riley said that the next stage will be handled sensitively.

"We said we expected there to be impacts on jobs from these changes, and, after reviewing the business over the last few months, today we briefed our people on the expected impacts," Riley said in a statement.

"Always when there are implications for people's jobs it is difficult, and this is no exception. We will work through a careful consultation process with our people, and we will do so with the utmost respect and sensitivity."