Telstra slashes 800 jobs from directories arm Sensis

    Mitchell Bingemann
    The Australian
    February 19, 2014


TELSTRA is slashing 800 jobs from its struggling directories arm Sensis just one month after the telco giant sold a 70 per cent stake in the White and Yellow Pages publisher.      

Advertising operations, sales, management and support area roles will be targeted in the massive jobs cull.

The job cuts come as after Sensis and Telstra were taken to the Fair Work Commission by the Community and Public Sector Union on Monday over accusations it had not kept workers informed of the impending changes.

The jobs cuts mean Telstra will have more than halved the headcount at Sensis in the past 12 months with a total workforce reduction of 1500 roles. In February last year the telco giant cut close to 700 jobs with 391 of those roles are heading overseas to call centres in The Philippines or India.         

In contrast and in the same period, Telstra’s rival Vodafone has put in motion plans to hire about 750 call centre jobs in Tasmania. About 300 of those roles have been fulfilled in Hobart.

Telstra said it would commence “consultation” with employees and unions on the latest round of cuts. The telco said it was making the redundancies to support its “transition to becoming a digital business”.

“These are very difficult decisions and are never taken lightly,” said Sensis managing director, John Allan

“We are working with our people to keep them informed and to provide support for those who may be affected by the proposed changes should they proceed.”

Mr Allan said it was important for Sensis to become a more digitally-focused marketing services company as it continued to meet the challenge of increased competition from online and mobile search directories.

“These changes are designed to support our growing digital business, respond to competition and deliver improvements in the service we provide to our customers,” Mr Allan said.

Under the restructure Sensis will create two telephone sales “centres of excellence” in Melbourne and Sydney and a new mobile operating model for face-to-face sales teams. Sensis said this would help reduce administrative workload for sales staff.

The job cuts come just a month after Telstra last month sold its 70 per cent stake in Sensis to private equity firm Platinum Equity for $454 million. That sale put Sensis at a total value of $650m.

Last week Telstra revealed that revenue at Sensis declined by 13 per cent to $402 million in the six months to December 31. Revenue for its print component of that business, the Yellow and White pages, plummeted 31.7 per cent to $138m. Its revenue from digital services however increased by 7.5 per cent to $216m.

Bobby. wrote on Feb 19^th, 2014 at 10:20am:


Have you ever had any dealings with sensis Booby?, its a joke, it really has no place in the modern world unless you are stupid enough to believe it can compete with google   

Two MILLYUN Jobs!

I would normally be against people being made unemployed but almost everyone is better off not working for Telstra.

We are losing one job every three minutes since the liberals have come in. Just re- shaping the work force nothing to worry about economy is good house prices are are making a recovery. Reserve bank reconds it's bottomed out and we should se good growth. No new illegal boat arrivals. So unless you work with your hands you should be good.

stevieboy wrote on Feb 20^th, 2014 at 6:35am:



A new non-conservative government needed urgently.

Till then, things will ONLY get worse.

Lobo wrote on Feb 20^th, 2014 at 1:58pm:

TELSTRA is slashing 800 jobs from its struggling directories arm Sensis just one month after the telco giant sold a 70 per cent stake in the White and Yellow Pages publisher.      Sad

Advertising operations, sales, management and support area roles will be targeted in the massive jobs cull.

The job cuts come as after Sensis and Telstra were taken to the Fair Work Commission by the Community and Public Sector Union on Monday over accusations it had not kept workers informed of the impending changes.

The jobs cuts mean Telstra will have more than halved the headcount at Sensis in the past 12 months with a total workforce reduction of 1500 roles. In February last year the telco giant cut close to 700 jobs with 391 of those roles are heading overseas to call centres in The Philippines or India.      Sad   

In contrast and in the same period, Telstra’s rival Vodafone has put in motion plans to hire about 750 call centre jobs in Tasmania. About 300 of those roles have been fulfilled in Hobart.

Telstra said it would commence “consultation” with employees and unions on the latest round of cuts. The telco said it was making the redundancies to support its “transition to becoming a digital business”.

“These are very difficult decisions and are never taken lightly,” said Sensis managing director, John Allan

“We are working with our people to keep them informed and to provide support for those who may be affected by the proposed changes should they proceed.”

Mr Allan said it was important for Sensis to become a more digitally-focused marketing services company as it continued to meet the challenge of increased competition from online and mobile search directories.

“These changes are designed to support our growing digital business, respond to competition and deliver improvements in the service we provide to our customers,” Mr Allan said.

Under the restructure Sensis will create two telephone sales “centres of excellence” in Melbourne and Sydney and a new mobile operating model for face-to-face sales teams. Sensis said this would help reduce administrative workload for sales staff.

The job cuts come just a month after Telstra last month sold its 70 per cent stake in Sensis to private equity firm Platinum Equity for $454 million. That sale put Sensis at a total value of $650m.

Last week Telstra revealed that revenue at Sensis declined by 13 per cent to $402 million in the six months to December 31. Revenue for its print component of that business, the Yellow and White pages, plummeted 31.7 per cent to $138m. Its revenue from digital services however increased by 7.5 per cent to $216m.
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bobbythebat1
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YOU DIDN'T
READ IT LIKE YOUR LITTLE BUDDY PUSSIE CAT DIDN'T EITHER    

More jobs seem to be either disappearing or being exported to Asia.

Will the last person left in Australia please turn out the lights?