The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has slammed a Telstra decision to close the Moe, Victoria call centre throwing 114 sales and customer service staff out of work.
The union says the closure is major blow to regional workers.
CPSU staff are now meeting with members who were told the devastating news at lunch time.
The CPSU understands that staff were told the centre is closing because there is not enough work.
“It’s a difficult line for these loyal employees to accept because they’ve always had a heavy workload and there has been no change to that,” CPSU Telstra lead organiser Teresa Davison said.
The Moe call centre faced a similar challenge in 2005 when Telstra moved to shut it then. The CPSU mounted a successful community campaign which helped keep the centre open.
Telstra says it will move some of the 114 jobs to capital cities in Australia, but the CPSU is calling for a guarantee from Telstra that work will not be transferred off shore.
“It is our experience that over time these jobs do end up off shore. So not only is this a blow to the Moe community, but it means more frustration for Telstra customers trying access customer service and support.
“The community has every right to feel angry at Telstra's hypocrisy. They say they are absolutely committed to regional Australia and then make a blunt and heartless decision to cut jobs in Moe.
“114 job losses is a huge kick in the guts for Moe. It's not just the staff who are affected - it's local businesses, cafes, contractors who look after the building.
“With an NBN deal and a lucrative wireless project underway, Telstra’s decision to sack these hard working employees is just appalling.
“It’s time Telstra told us the true extent of its commitment to regional Australia, because it says one thing and does another,” Ms Davison said.