Sacked Hazelwood power station workers fear future after plant closure

SACKED employees at Hazelwood power station have warned Victoria isn’t ready for life without coal-fired power.

Peter Gair, 53, direct employee, Kristy Mooney, 41, Contractor, and Roger Commerford, 62, Contractor, will work their last days this week, leaving the Hazelwood power station behind them. Picture: Jason Edwards.

SACKED employees at Hazelwood power station have warned Victoria isn’t ready for life without coal-fired power.

Nor, they admit, are they ready for life on the dole.

Hundreds of employees will walk off the job for the final time this week after an Engie Pty Ltd decision to shut down one of Latrobe Valley’s largest employers.

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Unions have scrambled to reach an agreement on a worker transfer scheme with other power generators but many employees, particularly contractors, remain fearful for their future.

Most full time employees will received modest redundancies as part of the decommissioning. Contractors will miss out.

“If I can’t line up another job I’ll have to move,’’ cleaner Kristy Mooney, 41, of Newborough said.

Long time unit operator Ron Witton, 59, was among employees shown the door.

“I don’t think the Daniel Andrews really understands what he’s done,’’ Mr Witton said.

“This closure could have been staged over four years. Instead we’ve got young blokes here with mortgages and young families and nowhere to go.’’

Roger Commerford, 62, a contractor at the site for more than 18 years said Mr Andrews could have done more to introduce bold engineering concepts that could cleaned up processing methods and kept the plant running.

Peter Gair, 53, direct employee, Kristy Mooney, 41, Contractor, and Roger Commerford, 62, Contractor, will work their last days this week, leaving the Hazelwood power station behind them. Picture: Jason Edwards.

“I feel sorry for the younger blokes,’’ he said. “They made commitments because they were led to believe the plant would go on.’’

But full timer Peter Gair, 53, laid the blame elsewhere.

“Kennett did it,’’ he said. “It should never have been privatised.’’

Union chiefs confirmed on Tuesday Energy Australia was the latest power company expected to sign up to the worker transfer agreement in a 11th hour bid to ensure Hazelwood’s sacked workforce has somewhere to go.

“We are doing all we can but this is a very difficult time,’’ Gippsland Trades and Labour Council secretary Steve Dodd said.

Meanwhile national health coalition, Climate and Health Alliance, said the closure of the brown coal fired plant would immediately improve the health of thousands of locals.

The final two burners at the plant will be turned off on Wednesday as part of a staged shutdown.

“For children with asthma, the elderly, and people with respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, this announcement is good news,’’ executive director Fiona Armstrong said.

“People in the Latrobe Valley have suffered a burden of ill-health from the pollution caused by the burning of coal over a long period, given it is linked to cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological diseases, as well as lung cancers,’’ Alliance executive director Fiona Armstrong said.

Ms Armstrong said developing new economic opportunities in the Latrobe Valley was important for the health of the local community.

• In an earlier version of this story, it was incorrectly reported that the closure of Hazelwood Power Station was due to a State Government decision. The decision to close Hazelwood was made by the privately owned Engie Pty Ltd.