Telstra offers coronavirus-affected staff 14 days’ leave pay

Thousands of Telstra employees unable to work from home will be guaranteed up to 14 days’ paid leave if forced into isolation by the coronavirus.

Thousands of Telstra employees unable to work from home will be guaranteed up to 14 days’ paid leave if forced into isolation by the coronavirus or required to care for children affected by school or childcare centre closures.

More than 90 per cent of Telstra’s 29,000 workers are able to work from home and the company said it would ensure remaining employees would be able to access up to two weeks’ paid leave if affected by the outbreak.

The policy changes are largely aimed at technicians in the field as well as store and contact centre employees.

Permanent Telstra employees receive 15 days’ sick or carer’s leave, which is cumulative annually. Under the policy, the leave balances of affected employees will be topped up if required.

Casuals will get access to up to 14 days’ leave paid at their base rate — no casual loading — if they are unwell, have carer’s responsibilities or are in quarantine or self-­isolation. Casuals, who make up 30 to 40 per cent of Telstra’s retail workforce, will also be paid if a store or workplace closes and they had been rostered to work.

“This is an unprecedented situation,” a Telstra spokesman said, “one that requires us to step up, be there for our people and give those who need it most the support and reassurance to get through this difficult time.”

Employers on Wednesday urged the government to reject an ACTU call for two weeks’ paid leave for all workers directly impacted by the coronavirus, accusing unions of using the outbreak to “opportunistically” pursue changes to workplace laws.

The ACTU said the government should urgently underwrite two weeks of paid leave for all permanent, casual and contract workers affected by the outbreak, including employees forced into isolation and workers impacted by company closures or downturns.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus said if workers were forced to choose between going to work sick or being able to pay their bills and feed their families, “then we are creating a disaster scenario for public health”.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said “what is needed at this time is for the community to pull together, not for unions to use the corona­virus outbreak to opportunistic­ally pursue ongoing changes to workplace laws,” he said.

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter indicated the government would not support the ACTU proposal, saying an option being considered was for affected casual workers to be able to access a sickness allowance through the welfare system.

Mr Porter said the sickness allowance catered for people who “become sick and their employment is interrupted without sick leave or other leave that they can take. Now that’s obviously a mechanism that already exists to cater for this situation and there’s ways in which that can be tweaked to be scaled up, if needs be,” he said.

“Some of the calls have been to fundamentally change the industrial relations system and apply sick leave broadly to 3.3 million people where it’s never been ­applied before. I don’t think that sort of fundamental restructure before the problem’s become completely clear as to its extent, scale, location is a very wise approach.

“But it may be that some extra response is required.”