Telstra workers are voting on whether to take urgent industrial action over pay claims, as the company's annual general meeting of shareholders is held in Melbourne.
Len Cooper, Communications Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU) national president said workers were furious about Telstra's ongoing refusal to negotiate a collective agreement with its employees.
"People are angry, because on one hand you've got a company with a CEO getting the type of remuneration of ($13.4 million) a year and a 14% increase last year, and they are refusing to give even a cost of living increase for the workers in the company,'' Mr Cooper told reporters outside the meeting on Friday.
The unions want a 7% pay increase over the next three years to cover the increased cost of living.
If Friday's vote by 7000 unionised Telstra workers passes, a combination of short, rolling and indefinite strikes will be held in mid-December.
"They (workers) are going to have to sacrifice in the run-up to Christmas, but they've been waiting over 12 months now for a pay increase and they can't wait any longer,'' Mr Cooper said.
Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) national president Louise Persse said more than half of her union's membership were women who worked in the customer service centre.
"It is a big step for workers who haven't experienced industrial action for a very long time to get to this point,'' Ms Persse told reporters.
"It really is the bloody-mindedness of the company in their refusal to negotiate that has led to this. It's not something the company should be proud of at all.''
Research released by the CEPU on Friday showed overwhelming support from the Australian public for Telstra workers.
The Auspoll of 1000 people shows nine out of 10 people believe chief executive Sol Trujillo's salary is either "far too high'' or "too high''.
In a speech to shareholders at the AGM, Telstra chairman Don McGauchie said that in November last year, Telstra conducted an Australian Workplace Agreement re-offer to employees.
The Federal Workplace Ombudsman has cleared Telstra of any wrongdoing in that offer, Mr McGauchie said, and there was no evidence of the unions' claims that Telstra applied duress or coercion in its offer.
"This was an important finding, demonstrating Telstra's commitment to assisting employees to make an informed choice about their employment conditions,'' Mr McGauchie said.
"Indeed, the vast majority of employees took up Telstra's offer, choosing to renew their contracts and maintain their industry-leading arrangements.''
The results of Friday's ballot will be known on December 9.
AAP
