Another Telstra worker 'commits suicide'

Another Telstra worker 'commits suicide'
18th June 2007, 4:33 WST

Increasing performance targets and plans to install satellite tracking in his work van caused a Melbourne Telstra line technician to commit suicide, his friends and family believe.

Leon Dousset, a Telstra technician for 32 years, took his own life in March this year, depressed because new Telstra performance monitoring had forced him to adopt substandard work practices, his loved ones say.

They said he was also upset over a plan to fit work vans with GPS tracking.

The allegations, to be aired on the ABC's Four Corners program on Monday night, follow the suicide of Melbourne Telstra call centre worker Sally Sandic in January this year.

Her family also allege sharply increased sales targets and work pressure took their toll on Ms Sandic.

Former workmate of Mr Dousset John Hitchiner said he was well respected by his colleagues but became increasingly depressed under Telstra's new time-based performance system, which he said did not allow for preventative maintenance or for tasks to be finished satisfactorily.

Mr Dousset's daughter, Fiona Schulinus, said her father felt inadequate.

"He was made to feel inferior and I believe... that because they were isolated from the other workers, they were made to feel that other workers were achieving their targets even if they weren't, and that made him feel even more inadequate," she said.

Mr Hitchiner said his friend felt GPS tracking in workers' vans was "demeaning" and "showed a lack of trust".

Telstra's head of customer sales and service, John Rolland, said Mr Dousset's suicide was tragic.

"We were not aware of Leon's depression and so therefore for us to be aware and take action was very difficult," he said.

"We did understand he was upset about the GPS issue but he never made us aware of the extent of his condition."

Audio of a speech delivered by Telstra chief operations officer Greg Winn in May this year, to be aired on Four Corners, suggest a cut-throat corporate culture.

"We're criticised for it but the fact of the matter is we run an absolute dictatorship and that's what's going to drive this transformation and deliver results. It's a cultural issue," Mr Winn said.

"If you can't get the people to go there - and you try once and you try twice, which is sometimes hard for me, but I do believe in a second chance - then you just shoot 'em and get them out of the way and put people in that you can teach the new business process to and drive on, and that's the kind of thing that you have to do if you're serious about changing things, and we are obviously changing."

Mr Rolland called Mr Winn's language "colourful" and denied Telstra operated in that manner.
AAP

Source: thewest.com.au