Power workers who were planning to stop work on Tuesday, March 3, over fears of job cuts at Ausgrid were still waiting on Friday afternoon for the Fair Work Commission to make a decision about the strike action.
Electrical Trades Union (ETU) secretary Steve Butler said Ausgrid workers had given formal notice of their intention to hold a four-hour work stoppage after management rejected a workplace agreement that would protect local jobs at the publicly owned electricity network business.
‘‘But the state government, Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy took us to court to stop the action,’’ he said.
Mr Butler said the commission would either rule in their favour, the companies’ favour or issue a temporary suspension allowing the union to seek permission to take action later.
He would not comment on strike action if the commission ruled against the union.
‘‘The ETU is not in the habit of ignoring the Fair Work Commission,’’ Mr Butler said.
He said workers were concerned that 2400 jobs at Ausgrid could be axed.
If spread equally across all depots, that would mean up to 164 jobs could be cut at Oatley — reducing the local workforce by nearly 44 per cent.
Mr Butler said workers were forced to escalate the dispute after Ausgrid refused their offer to accept a reduced pay rise of 2.5 per cent a year, in line with the NSW public sector wages policy, in return for maintaining job security ahead of the Liberal Party’s planned electricity privatisation.
‘‘This industrial action was not about inconveniencing the general public but about ensuring the government and management provided job security ahead of the Baird government’s electricity privatisation,’’ Mr Butler said.
Ausgrid would not comment until the commission made a decision.
Do you share the concern of the power workers?
