ETU members protest for improved conditions at offices of Wide Bay-Burnett MPs

Electrical Trades Union members throughout the region downed tools and protested in support of improved entitlements including a pay rise and parental leave.

ETU members met with ALP Bundaberg MP Tom Smith seeking support for improved working conditions currently under negotiation with Powerlink and Energy Queensland.

Sparkies came out in strong numbers across the Wide Bay-Burnett to force their claims for higher pay currently under negotiation with the state’s energy providers.

Electrical Trades Union members working for Powerlink and Energy Queensland downed tools for 24 hours across the state on Tuesday, calling for conditions including pay increases to bring them into parity with members in other states.

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ETU members met with ALP Bundaberg MP Tom Smith seeking support for improved working conditions currently under negotiation with Powerlink and Energy Queensland.

The enterprise agreement between the ETU and the state’s two biggest energy providers and infrastructure networks expired on February 29.

In a protection action ballot that closed on March 4, 98 per cent of the union’s 5000 members voted in favour of taking protected industrial action in support of a series of claims currently under negotiation for the new enterprise bargaining agreement.

About 20 ETU members met with ALP Bundaberg MP Tom Smith outside his office, with Mr Smith signing a pledge to advocate for local employment opportunities under the state’s energy and jobs plan, and to ensure industry standard wages and conditions for the state’s energy workers.

Demonstrations were also held outside the offices of ALP Hervey Bay MP Adrian Tantari and ALP Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders.

ETU state organiser Scott Sologinkin said substandard pay was one of the main drivers behind a shortage of skilled electrical tradespeople in Queensland.

Tom Smith signed a pledge to advocate for local employment opportunities under the state’s energy and jobs plan, and to ensure industry standard wages and conditions for the state’s energy workers.

“The big thing as part of this agreement is we need to have comparable wages and conditions that are on offer interstate,” he said.

“Energy Queensland needs to pay those comparative rates of wages and conditions so we can keep the highly skilled workers that are here currently working for Ergon Energy Queensland, but also attract the new ones.”

The union is calling for Powerlink to improve conditions for their own employees and contractors maintaining the state’s transmission network to ensure the company and its contractors will recruit local workers.

“We’re advocating for Powerlink to really make commitments to Queensland workers ... internally but also to contractors to give them some guarantees so they can recruit locally and look at putting apprenticeships in place, and not just go run off overseas to look at trying to build the new network with offshore foreign labour,” Mr Sologinkin said.

ETU state organiser Scott Sologinkin said substandard pay was one of the main drivers behind a shortage of skilled electrical tradespeople in Queensland.

In addition to an improved attraction and retention allowance, ETU is making other claims including 17 per cent leave loading, 26 weeks paid parental leave for the primary carer and overtime to be paid at double time.

Mr Smith said he was “proud” to stand with the union in support of the conditions it is demanding on behalf of its members.

“All our energy crews go out there when we don’t want to go in there, they face the conditions that we don’t want to face,” he said.

“And to make sure that the power is restored to our households, we need to ensure that we’re giving them the power back by having the wages , overtime rate and safe working conditions that they absolutely deserve.”

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Mr Sologinkin said some union members were on call throughout the day to respond to faults and ensure safety and supply to the community.

Originally published as ETU members protest for improved conditions at offices of Wide Bay-Burnett MPs