On 8 August up to 1600 ETU members took protected industrial action and rallied outside Ausgrid’s Haymarket headquarters to protest the company’s most recent lowball wage offer.
Tensions are reaching breaking point for Ausgrid workers who have seen their wages go backwards in real terms by almost 10% since 2016. They also receive lower pay compared to counterparts in Queensland and Victoria.
The poles and wires company services around two million customers, which equates to more than four million people, across most of Sydney’s east, north and inner-city, as well as the Central Coast and Hunter Valley.
ETU members at Ausgrid commenced bargaining in May this year, but the company has rejected most of the union’s claims, including a decent wage increase. Now Ausgrid is trying to ram through the same dud offer saying it intends to put the offer out to a formal vote on 4 September.
Ausgrid is one of the only companies that has performance-based pay progression which is almost unheard of in trade based roles. The latest EBA offer has been put to workers while rejecting any feedback from the bargaining committee. This offer ignores shift workers’ claims completely, removes conditions for delegates, and doesn’t meet the cost-of-living pressures members are facing.
ETU members have consistently and strategically continued to take protected industrial action throughout August, to show the company how serious they are about wanting improved pay and conditions. ETU members at Ausgrid are often the first responders to emergencies or during severe weather events, turning up in all sorts of conditions at any time of the day or night to restore power to the community, and ensure a safe and reliable electricity network.
“It is unacceptable that electrical workers who provide a critical service to the community in a dangerous industry are having their real wages eroded over time. Workers in the power industry are finding it harder than ever to put food on the table and pay the rent and bills. They deserve a wage that keeps up with the cost of living at a bare minimum,” said ETU NSW/Act Secretary Allen Hicks.