SYDNEY, March 5 AAP - Telstra is to shut its Aged and Disability Service Centres, in what the public sector union today described as a "sneaky and underhanded" move. The telco confirmed it had told staff the six centres across Australia would be shut down in mid-March. The six staff - one at each centre - had been made redundant, the union said. "We got three customers per week using these centres and we felt there's a more effective way of meeting their needs," said Telstra media relations manager Stephen Morrison. "Under the new arrangements they will have a much enlarged network of places they can get information about products and services - Telstra shops, Country Wide outlets and external agencies, Independent Living Centres." In total, he said more than 200 outlets would carry equipment and provide advice to the aged and disabled, along with a disability inquiry hotline. The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) said Telstra shops and Country Wide outlets were inappropriate environments in which to service disabled and aged customers. "They're generally flat out, they're small and often located in busy commercial areas where there might be access problems," said CPSU communications secretary Stephen Jones. "Staff are generally casual employees who are very good at selling products but if you need to have a private conversation with somebody they're not really a very conducive environment." All shops were fully equipped for disabled access and Telstra would provide extra training to shop staff, Mr Morrison said. The union said it had written to Telstra asking that the centres remain open and requesting a meeting to discuss the issue. This article forwarded from PhysicalDisabilityAustralia email list ###