Telstra has been informed by the Communications Workers Union (CWU) of a proposed strike and has taken measures to prevent disruption for customers and those not participating in the action.
Telstra workers could be poised to strike after union members voted for the option of industrial action amid an ongoing pay row.
The union has called Andy Penn's comments over the skill level of telco workers in Australia a "complete disrespect" to the 8,000 employees being let go.
An outage suffered by Telstra causing ATMs to shut down has sparked concerns over the number of technicians roles the company is said to be axing.
Around 55 technicians working on the Telstra copper network connecting and maintaining the national broadband network were sacked on the spot on Friday, the CEPU said.