After Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison abandoned the Coalition's proposed National Energy Guarantee which would allegedly reduce polluting emissions and lower electricity retail costs, the energy sector remains in disarray.
Wednesday 17 July 2019
So much for Liberal-Nationals boasts concerning regional jobs growth in 2019
After Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison abandoned the Coalition's proposed National Energy Guarantee which would allegedly reduce polluting emissions and lower electricity retail costs, the energy sector remains in disarray.
One
hundred and sixty-five jobs are
at
risk across
regional News South Wales as Essential
Energywhose operational footprint covers 95 percent of the state apparently
considers downsizing employee numbers as a cost-cutting measure is the best way to gain the Morrison Government’s approval.
In
all probability hoping that this move will appease Morrison and he will then decide to forget his promise to force all energy companies to lower their prices.
Sadly,
this is just the sort of short-sighted approach to cost cutting which
‘The
Liar From The Shire’
would approve.
Though
how downsizing staff leads to better customer service under
The
Energy Charter
I am at a loss to understand.
The
Daily Examiner, 4 July 2019, p.1:
Methods
used to determine who stays in a job at Essential Energy have been
likened to the battle for survival in sci-fi film Hunger Games.
The
Electrical Trade Union claims workers will be pitted against each
other to save their own job and asserts that the company has told
workers Grafton will be one of the hardest hit in a plan to slash 165
jobs across regional NSW.
The
Daily Examiner was told of workers being asked to write letters to
state why they should keep their job.
ETU
secretary Justin Paige slammed the announcement of cuts, saying the
use of forced redundancies along with a “Hunger Games” style
competition between workers was causing unnecessary hardship.
“Workers
have been given less than a week to respond to the plan, with the
first staff to be made forcibly redundant as early as July 10, but we
are examining every legal and industrial avenue available to stop
them,” Mr Paige said.
“The
worst part is many of these cuts will be undertaken through what
management have called a ‘merit selection process’, which will
essentially pit workers against each other to save their own job.
Clarence
MP Chris Gulaptis and Deputy Premier John Barilaro poured scorn on
the proposed job losses…...
The
Daily Examiner,
5 July 2019, p.3:
The
ALP has accused Nationals MPs of hypocrisy over their response to
Essential Energy sacking 182 employees.
Member
for Lismore Janelle Saffin said it was the height of hypocrisy for
Nationals MPs like John Barilaro and Chris Gulaptis to claim they are
fighting against Essential Energy’s regional job cuts.
Ms
Saffin said the Nationals allowed Essential Energy to be corporatised
so they could bleat all they like but lost their say in the matter
when they agreed to the sell-off.
“The
Nationals’ excuse was that a Restart fund would be set up from the
proceeds of the sale and that regional and rural NSW would get 30 per
cent of the proceeds annually,” Ms Saffin said. “They never even
delivered and failed regional NSW. The Auditor General has showed
year after year since 2011 that Restart has not met the Nationals’
30 per cent target – it was 17 per cent last year.
“The
Nationals lost three seats at the recent State election, which is why
John Barilaro is now posturing that his hapless party is suddenly
independent of the Liberals.”
Ms
Saffin said she was saddened to hear of Essential Energy’s plan to
sack more workers as it was a cruel blow to them and their families,
and would make it harder on remaining workers maintaining or
upgrading infrastructure.
“Essential
Energy, which operates electricity poles and wires across 95 per cent
of the state, has gutted more than 2000 jobs from their ranks since
2015,” Ms Saffin said.
“It
is hard enough to get permanent roles in the regions and while jobs
have grown in the city it has been slow here…..
The
Daily Examiner,
8
July 2019, p.3:
Essential
Energy has hit the pause button on its moves to cut 182 job across
Northern NSW after a Fair Work Commission meeting which called for
the company to provide further information to its workers.
On
Friday power industry unions reached an in-principle agreement with
Essential Energy in the Fair Work Commission that paused planned job
cuts until additional consultation took place.
The
agreement means no jobs will be lost before mid-August, with unions
given an opportunity to propose alternative cost saving measures and
initiatives that could avert the need for redundancies.
Essential
Energy committed to distributing information to all employees by July
19 that includes: the justification for role reductions, the specific
impacts of cuts on remaining team members, and details of the tasks
or functions that will cease to be performed.
Essential
Energy also committed to consider alternative savings measures before
redundancy decisions.
Electrical
Trades Union secretary Justin Page welcomed the outcome, saying it
was vital workers could identify alternatives to regional job cuts.
“This
is a tough time for Essential Energy workers, their families and
colleagues,” Mr Page said.
“After
four years of deep staffing cuts at Essential Energy – which has
not only devastated those workers directly impacted, but has had
profound impacts on service delivery and regional communities –
today’s reprieve is extremely welcome, but is just the start…..
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