Brisbane City Council staff upset by unpaid break memo during widespread Queensland power outage

Brisbane City Council staff have been left upset by a memo telling them to take unpaid leave or annual leave during the widespread power outage that hit Queensland today.

A Brisbane supermarket during today’s widespread power outage. Picture: Ch9 News

Brisbane City Council staff who lost power in the massive power outage were told to contact their bosses about taking an “unpaid break” or annual leave in the middle of the chaos.

The memo, sent to staff today amid the mayhem, warned the blackout had hit a significant number of homes and business in the southeast and advised those unable to continue working to “discuss the most appropriate work arrangement with their team leader.”

“This may include completing work offline if appropriate, taking an unpaid break during this period or accessing flex leave or your accrued leave, such as annual leave,” it states.

Those able to keep working should do so, it states, noting that some devices and laptops have a battery life “that will mean you can continue to work offline.”

One employee told The Courier-Mail that staff were upset by the suggestion they should take annual leave without notice due to an event they had no control over, saying it seemed highly “unusual”.

The memo appears to be directed at staff working from home.

It advises staff to contact their team leaders to make plans to come into the workplace if the outage continues into tomorrow.

About 93,000 Brisbane properties were impacted by the outage, caused by multiple explosions at the Callide C Power Station east of Biloela.

While power has been restored to most customers, the Australian Energy Market Operator has warned of rolling blackouts tonight, raising uncertainty about ongoing effects.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said no Council employee who was unable to work due to the unscheduled major power outage would be forced to use leave of any kind.

“I have asked that this message be passed on to any staff members affected,” he said.

“I thank all of council’s employees who persevered through the challenging circumstances with the power outage this afternoon to ensure council services continued to be delivered.”