Power outage threat over 24pc pay claim

The Electrical Trades Union is warning of power outages in NSW and ACT as its seeks three 8pc annual pay rises.

ETU NSW and ACT secretary Allen Hicks says Transgrid’s pay offer is “abysmal”.

The Electrical Trades Union is warning of power outages in NSW and the ACT as hundreds of workers start a second 24-hour strike at Transgrid in support of a 24 per cent pay rise over three years.

In the latest evidence of unions willing to strike in pursuit of above-inflation wage increases, the ETU said the legal industrial action in support of three annual 8 per cent pay rises was justified given Transgrid’s “abysmal lowball” counter offer of 13 per cent.

The union said the strike on Friday by 400 electrical workers, many of whom earn a base salary of about $117,000 a year but can earn up to $180,000 annually due to overtime, would disrupt Transgrid’s maintenance operations, including the nation’s biggest energy transmission project, Project ­EnergyConnect.

“The strike means any faults on Transgrid’s high voltage transmission network won’t be fixed, risking outages in NSW and the ACT,” the union’s NSW and ACT secretary, Allen Hicks, said.

“Transgrid would rather risk the integrity of the high-voltage transmission network and create delays on critical projects than pay its workers a decent wage.

“Day in, day out, our members power our schools, hospitals, workplaces and homes by maintaining the backbone of the electricity system. But their hard work is met with inadequate compensation and abysmal pay offers,” Mr Hicks said

ETU NSW and ACT secretary, Allen Hicks.

Transgrid and the ETU have been bargaining for a new agreement since October, with the company at this stage offering pay rises totalling 13 per cent over three years – 5 per cent in the first year followed by two 4 per cent rises.

It has also proposed lifting employer superannuation contributions from an already above-average 15.5 per cent to 16.5 per cent in two stages over the life of the three-year agreement.

But Mr Hicks attacked the offer, depicting Transgrid as “a majority foreign-owned company that continues to lowball its Australian workers, and then send massive profits offshore”.

“Our electrical workers are indispensable amidst a national skills shortage in the energy transmission sector. As Australia works towards net zero, Transgrid’s tightfistedness threatens to drive out more tradies and slow down the renewable energy transition.”

He said Transgrid must “do the decent thing and pay its essential workforce a decent salary”.

The workers who are in high demand work a 35-hour week before overtime. “We can’t live without our tradies, but our tradies can’t afford the cost of living,” he said. “We won’t stop industrial action until Transgrid pays its electrical workers what they’re worth.”

Transgrid said on Thursday that its first priority was the safety of “our people, the network, and the community”.

“Our team remains focused on ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the NSW grid,” a spokeswoman said. “We continue to assess and mitigate, and wherever possible eliminate any risks to the network or the nation-critical major projects.”

She said Transgrid was seeking to finalise a revised package of wage increases and other proposed benefits as soon as possible.

“We will continue to progress discussions in good faith towards finalising an agreement that is in the best interests of our people and consumers,” she said.

The ETU said workers would respond to any “life-threatening emergencies” during the strike.