IN A marked departure from his tough rhetoric on unions, member for Wagga Daryl Maguire wants employee bodies to work with the government to try and mitigate the potential loss of 100 electricity sector jobs.
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Essential Energy is set to shed around 100 jobs across the Riverina starting from September as a result of a determination by the Australian Energy Regulator stating power companies need to cut their costs and lower consumer bills.
The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) is up in arms about the plan and is pointing the finger at the government over the job losses.
“Premier Mike Baird needs to come clean on whether he has signed off on this plan, because on his watch nearly 2,800 NSW families – more than half of which are in rural or regional areas – will lose their primary income,” ETU secretary Steve Butler said earlier this week.
Those fighting to save their jobs have however found an ally in Mr Maguire, who said the proposed cuts were too steep and would compromise safety and reliability in the region’s electricity network.
“We believe the positions are needed and we’re encouraging the regulator to listen to what is a fair and reasonable approach,” Mr Maguire said.
The government has appealed the regulator’s decision in a move to attempt to reduce the number of people made redundant by Essential Energy as a result of the regulator’s decision.
The ETU this week claimed the company had a “hit list” of staff they wanted to cut.
Mr Maguire expressed concerns staff involved in safety work, such as those responsible for clearing trees near power lines, would be the ones directly in the firing line.
He said the campaign to save jobs had been effectively abandoned by Labor, which has opposed an appeal against the energy regulator’s ruling.
“The Liberals and Nationals should be the last people the unions are picking on,” Mr Maguire said.
Statewide, Essential Energy is expected to cut nearly 1400 jobs should the regulator’s determination stand.
While Essential Energy prepares to shed jobs, rival energy provider TransGrid has elected to cut costs to meet the regulator’s decision by expanding its presence in contestable work markets rather than reducing the size of its workforce.
Mr Maguire said the regulator’s judgement was forcing power companies to make “some very hard decisions”.
“The issue is difficult because the regulator has determined prices of energy are too high (but) there are a number of factors affecting the cost of delivering energy,” he said.
