Union to meet 'good faith' Telstra

The Communications Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU) will tomorrow meet with Telstra for the first time under the leadership of the telco's new chief executive David Thodey.

"Tomorrow will focus on setting up a timetable for future talks as well as trying to build a framework to bring Telstra and the unions closer to agreement," Ed Husic, national president of Telstra's main union, the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) said in an email to journalists today.

The meeting follows Thodey's email to the union last week in which he outlined Telstra's intention to "bargain in good faith" with it, marking a radical departure from the telco's approach under former chief Sol Trujillo.

Husic's response to Telstra's acceptance of the union's request to meet with it was today more upbeat than last week. "It's positive. It's welcomed. It's a first step," he said today.

Previously, Husic had said that Thodey's email amounted to Telstra having "basically flicked us a letter, stating that from 1 July they will follow the law".

Tomorrow's meeting is unlikely to address any actual changes to members' current employment contracts with Telstra, according to Husic.

"The meeting tomorrow won't necessarily involve formal negotiating — though we are keen to resolve outstanding matters on the Enterprise Agreement and secure agreement as quickly as possible," he said.

Thodey had indicated in his email that formal negotiations on Enterprise Agreements would commence by early July, following the commencement of Labor's new Workplace Relations laws. Telstra spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.