Essential Energy electrical workers to walk off the job despite summer energy concerns

If the power goes off, you’re on your own: that’s the message from Essential Energy workers threatening rolling strikes every week until Christmas unless the government caves to wage demands.

Families in regional NSW could face three-day blackouts if the fragile energy grid goes down, with sparkies at Essential Energy preparing to walk off the job for 72 hours every week until Christmas, in a major escalation of a bitter wage dispute worth $275 million.

More than 2000 electricians working for state-owned Essential Energy will walk off the job today, after the NSW government refused to accept the Electrical Trade Union’s wage demands, arguing they would significantly increase energy bills.

Essential Energy is the major electricity provider for towns in regional and remote NSW, with the exception of Newcastle, Wollongong and the Hunter.

Households, businesses and schools in the bush face a summer of blackouts as ETU members refuse to turn the lights back on for households and businesses during their industrial action.

In addition, the rolling strikes would delay new homes being built, with the union refusing to work on connections during the strike.

ETU NSW/ACT Secretary Allen Hicks outside the Fair Work Commission on William Street in Sydney on Monday. Picture: Richard Dobson

The ETU is asking for a 24 per cent wage increase over three years plus super. It has also asked for more than 150 other items including a wet weather allowance that would see sparkies working in the rain paid double.

Essential Energy said that the union’s demands would cost the state more than $275 million over the three years for the more than 2000 employees and would directly result in an increase to electricity bills.

Union members twice rejected Essential Energy’s offer of 15 per cent over three years, an increase to 17 per cent superannuation and a $5000 one off payment. The current average base salary for an Essential Energy employee is $130,677, not including overtime.

The escalated action comes after more than nine months of ongoing industrial action with the state’s private energy providers Ausgrid, Endeavour and Transgrid to secure higher wages. Across the state ETU members working for all companies have intermittently refused to connect new developments to power, delaying thousands of new homes and public infrastructure projects.

ETU NSW secretary Allen Hicks told The Daily Telegraph their members working for Essential Energy would not restore power to blackout affected areas unless there was a direct threat to life.

“If there’s a life threatening emergency, our members will respond to that and make safe and restore electricity for people that are on life support or hospitals,” he said.

“But if it’s just an outage and it’s just to restore power to consumers and businesses, unless it’s unsafe we won’t be restoring the power.”

Mr Hicks said any anger NSW residents will have for being left in the dark this summer should not be directed at the union.

“If there’s any anger or frustration from NSW residents, they should be angry with the government and they should be saying to the government, we respect electricity workers,” he said.

NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the wage offer that had been made to Essential Energy workers was the highest out of all private companies in NSW.

“Cost of living and energy bills are hitting every NSW household and business. Consumers cannot afford to pay what the ETU is demanding,” she said.

The escalation of industrial action comes at a disastrous time for the state, which saw blackout warnings last week after supply issues within the electricity grid.

More than 2000 electrical workers will walk of the job on Tuesday. Photo Trevor Veale

On Monday Premier Chris Minns warned that there would likely be more blackout threats as the summer progresses.

“We could have (blackouts), particularly if you get a run of hot days, real challenges for the network – that’s going to be the situation for the summer periods,” he said on Monday morning.

Allen Hicks takes a call outside the Fair Work Commission on William Street in Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

An Essential Energy spokesperson said that the rolling strikes threatened “the delivery of a reliable supply of power to regional, rural and remote NSW and the parts of southern Queensland”.

The spokesperson said that over 19 bargaining meetings since May the union has refused to shift its position on its wage demands or its list of other claims.

“Throughout bargaining, the Unions have not materially shifted their position or made a counteroffer to reach an agreement,” the spokesperson said.

Opposition leader Mark Speakman called on Premier Chris Minns to directly intervene in the negotiations.

“This chaos at Essential Energy is no accident,” he said.

“It’s the inevitable result of a Labor government that lets things fester because it’s too scared to take on the unions, leaving NSW families and businesses to cop the fallout.”

NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders called on the Premier to get the ETU and Essential Energy back to the negotiating table.

“He can no longer sit back and watch our regional families and businesses suffer through rolling blackouts until Christmas and beyond,” he said.

NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman with Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Business NSW chief executive Dan Hunter said they union’s “ransom’ tactics would only hurt regional businesses in the lead up to Christmas.

“The hardworking regional people who put food on the table for Christmas are going to fare the worst,” he said.

“This strike action is holding this state government and regional NSW power supply to ransom at a time when there is an increased risk of blackouts.”

Property Council NSW executive director Katie Stevenson said businesses and communities were being “held to ransom” by the union’s tactics, which would stop families from moving into new homes.

“The implications on businesses and families in the event of blackouts at this important time of year could be catastrophic,” she said.

“It’s time for the Premier to step in and bring this ongoing dispute to a resolution – now.”