Telstra is planning to outsource as many as 46 jobs to IBM, claiming it doesn't have the right skills and culture within its existing cloud and data analytics workforces.
The jobs that will be moved to IBM will come out of the telco's service operations (TSO) and information technology services (ITS) teams, specifically related to infrastructure deployment, core engineering, and end-user services roles. Affected workers will be located across Sydney and Melbourne.
The Communications Workers Union said it was first notified of the plan just over two weeks ago. A meeting was held between the telco and other unions last week.
According to the CWU, the outsourcing plan is intended to strengthen Telstra's cloud and analystics business through new ways of working "that can’t be delivered by current systems and current staff".
The union said Telstra had specified a "lack of innovation" within the targeted teams as driving the move.
Telstra has an existing outourcing arrangement with IBM for procurement and supply chain, finance and administration, and business processes [pdf].
The telco said the outsourcing initiative would "improve efficiencies, improve the customer experience and provide a scalable workforce".
"We constantly review the way we work to simplify our business and consolidate some work types, while growing capability in other areas in response to changing business needs towards 2020," a spokesperson said.
