ETU members at publicly-owned regional energy distributor Essential Energy have been left with no option but to continue taking protected industrial action in pursuit of wages and conditions that keep up with the cost of living.
Local workers at Essential Energy have seen their wages go backwards in real terms by 7.8% since 2016. These workers are paid significantly less than their counterparts in electrical distribution in NSW metro areas like Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle, but also in Queensland and Victoria.
Essential Energy workers are often the first responders to emergencies and disasters across regional NSW, battling adverse conditions and all types of extreme weather to ensure a safe and secure electricity network for NSW communities. It is highly-skilled work, and regional energy workers are expected to have a broader skillset than those in the cities, yet their wages don’t reflect those additional responsibilities.
Essential Energy workers are called out on nights and weekends to restore power in emergencies to keep their communities safe. Some workers were even called out on Christmas Day last year to restore power to their communities.
ETU members commenced protected industrial action on 8 August with up to 2000 union members across 92 depots around the state walking off the job. Essential Energy’s latest offer still fails to address cost of living pressures and ignores multiple key claims by union members. Workers are left with no choice but to continue to take protected industrial action until they receive a decent offer from the company.
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“Regional workers are getting the raw end of the deal when it comes to wages and conditions in the electricity sector. Cost-of-living increases have hit them hard with rapidly rising rent and housing, fuel, electricity and groceries, but Essential Energy is expecting them to take a pay cut in real terms," said ETU NSW/ACT Secretary Allen Hicks.
“These workers have critical skills and experience that is called upon every day to maintain a safe, secure and reliable electricity network for regional communities. When your power goes out during a storm in the middle of the night, it is ETU members that come to the rescue. And yet, Essential Energy won’t even offer a pay rise that will allow these workers to keep up with the soaring cost of living.
“The NSW Government should invest in the energy workforce that maintains critical public infrastructure in regional communities all around the state. Essential Energy needs to pay its workforce a decent wage, and ensure that regional areas retain a robust, skilled energy workforce long into the future," Mr. Hicks said.
“These workers care about their communities in NSW, but they’re being paid significantly less than their peers doing the same job in Queensland and Victoria. Workers that live near state borders can simply hop across the border and get paid up to $15 an hour more for the same job.”
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