Print directory drop off calls for Sensis sackings

Staff set to do the walking as the company announces 120 sackings in Melbourne and Sydney.

The decision comes after the release of Telstra’s half-year results last week, which reported a sales revenue decrease of 17.8 per cent for Sensis. According to a statement, the decline was driven by a fall of 18 per cent in what Telstra call Yellow Print revenues. “… we believe [it] is a result of a structural shift from advertisers away from print directories,” said the statement.

A spokesperson from Sensis confirmed that 120 positions will be made redundant over the coming months, though some may be redeployed. “These decisions are never taken lightly and never easy to make, but are a consequence of our long-held practice of continually reviewing all of our operations to ensure we are operating competitively and meeting our customer needs,” they said.

Shane Roulstone, Sensis organiser for the Community and Public Sector Union told Print21 that the redundancies will occur mainly in Melbourne, affecting those is administration and IT support roles.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean 120 people will all go,” he said. “We will have a clearer picture in the next couple of days, but we expect it to be about 30 or 40 who are likely to be unemployed.”

Roulstone said that the union was “disappointed and working with its members during this tough time” but understood Sensis’ decision. “They have made a big decision in regards to the changing business of print advertising compared to online and they are moving more towards online … we expect the vast majority of employees will have a satisfactory outcome,” he said.

The spokesperson asserted that print directories “remain a core part of the Sensis business and our future strategy”, with a statement announcing that Sensis has developed a digital plan to address the decline in print revenues.

“Nowadays, consumers have more choice than ever when it comes to how they search and access information and we expect the use of digital platforms like online, mobile and voice will continue to increase,” the spokesperson said.

Phone books have been under attack for some time now, with many questioning their relevance, including politicians such as Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore and Richard Di Natale of the Greens Victoria, both of whom backed an opt-in system allowing residents to discontinue – or increase – the delivery of phone books to their household.

Sensis’ phonebooks are printed by Australia’s largest printer, PMP, which is currently in its third year of a seven-year print contract.

PMP CEO, Richard Allely, was not available for comment at the time of going to press, but two years ago he vigorously defended the use of phone books amongst both businesses and householders. “It will be generations until you see Yellow Pages not being a feature in our lives,” he said.

According to the Sensis spokesperson, “millions of Australians” still reply on print directories each week and “remains an extremely valuable source of business leads to thousands of small business advertisers.”