In an unexpected move Australian telecom major, Telstra announced slashing of 800 jobs across six different divisions, a move which came under strong criticism from the company’s Union.

 Telstra says the job slashing move is part of its transformation plan spread over a period of five years. The job cuts will mainly be reflected at the company’s Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne city centres.

This announcement is part of Telstra''s overall strategy and does not deviate from our original guidance. We are now evolving into a more aligned organisation that will provide better services to our customers and enable us to continue delivering world-leading financial results,” said Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo.

Following the move, The Community and Public Sector Union said that job cuts were terrible news to the sacked employees, their families and also to Telstra’s customers.

"It's the biggest single round of cuts since the so-called transformation process was announced," CPSU national organiser Paul Girdler said. "The reality is Telstra is Australia's biggest unemployer."

The Union and company management are scheduled to meet today in order to hear each other’s concerns over the issue.