Union claims power delays due to job cuts

The Electrical Trades Union has claimed that length delays in the restoration of power following the recent storms were the direct result of massive job cuts in the energy sector.

Ausgrid announced through its website on February 20 that power had been restored on the Peninsula following the storm on February 8 and 9.

Union secretary Mr Justin Page said there had been 5000 job losses since 2015 at electrical distributors Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy.

"Our members have been working around the clock during and since the storms, desperately trying to restore power to homes and businesses but the fact is that with 5000 fewer workers there simply isn't as many highly skilled people available to do the work," Mr Page said.

"Despite the network growing in size and the risks posed by extreme weather and climate change increasing, staffing levels in the NSW electricity network have never been as low as they currently are.

"Power workers have been doing emergency restoration works for months straight, including throughout the recent bushfire crisis, repairing unprecedented amounts of damage to vital electricity infrastructure.

"While the bushfires may have been unprecedented, scientists have long warned that climate change would cause more frequent and extreme weather events, yet rather than increase resources to make our power network more resilient, we continue to see the loss of specialist distribution workers."

SOURCE:

Media release, 11 Feb 2020

Justin Page, Electrical Trades Union