
Issue No 44		03 March 2000

Trades Hall

Mark Lennon’s Power Surge

Its almost three years since the great electricity privatisation debate and five years since disaggregation occurred in the industry.


	Mark Lennon

Although this has meant that the industry has been off the front pages it does not mean that the reform agenda has ceased.

As workers in the industry can attest, change continues and the only certainty is that there is to be more change. The change is occurring at both the macro and the micro level as the various electricity entities seek to adapt to the new competitive environment.

At the micro level the most significant impact has been ongoing job losses. Close to 1000 workers have departed the industry over the last three years through voluntary redundancy programs. These jobs have been lost through a mixture of downsizing and decisions by management to concentrate on 'core business' and therefore contract out certain services. The latter strategy has often resulted in the absurd situation of former employees coming back to work in organisations as contractors.

Unions have been strong in there opposition to the increased use of contractors, seeking to have provisions inserted in awards to regulate the issue. It makes no sense for these entities to use contractors when there are appropriately skilled people in the organisation who can do the job.

In addition to the removal of jobs the employers have sought to change the conditions covering those employees who are deemed to be excess. In particular employers have sought to limit salary maintenance for these employees to 12 months. This is a clear breach of the undertakings given by the Government at the time of disaggregation in 1996. Until this issue is resolved members will be reluctant to embark on further reform.

Attacks on working conditions has been the other major challenge that unions have had to face at the micro level, particularly in generation. A round of award negotiations has just been completed in the generation sector during which employers sought significant changes to conditions like travel time, overtime, span of hours and sick leave. Most of these proposed changes were strongly rejected by the members and - as a result of their preparedness to take industrial action in support of their position - were removed from the bargaining table by the employers. However they will no doubt be on the agenda next time as the employers insist that they are necessary changes in the new competitive environment.

Employers in the industry have to understand that the path to further productivity improvements is not through the slashing of conditions but through the continued upgrading of the skills of employees, improved work organisation and increased morale.

At the macro level the most significant change has been the move to the national electricity market which has occurred in the last 12 months. This has seen the formation of the National Electricity Market Management Company ( NEMMCO) which has responsibility for providing the wholesale pricing and national dispatch of electricity across NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.

All of these changes will make for interesting times for the industry in NSW

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Issue 44 contents

Interview: The Big Fella
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley speaks about Labor’s evolving relationship with the trade union movement in the post-Accord era.

Unions: An Interactive Resource
The priority for unions in the 21st century is organising and growth. Greg Combet’s unions @work report identified the direction unions should be moving.

Media: Public Hearings
As the big media players look increasingly tarnished, the broadcasting minnows like FBi are seeking their share of the airwaves.

History: Labour History Under Siege
In good labour tradition, the history section of Workers Online begins the year with a call to arms.

Olympics: Games Greed Boosts Homeless Numbers
'Homeless in Sydney' is shaping up to be the theme of the Olympics with many property owners evicting tenants and pushing up rents.

Women: No Time To Be Casual
International Women’s Day is a day to take action. As a shop steward or union delegate why not use IWD as an opportunity to encourage the women in your workplace to join the union?

International: Serbian And Kosovo Unions Meet
The Italian metalworkers has hosted meetings on how to build a different future for the workers in the Balkans.

Labour Review: What's New
Read the latest issue of Labour Review our resource for students, activists and officials.

Review: Rock and a Hard Place
A hippie festival? Alternative? No way...the music festival know as the Big Day Out (BDO) is fast becoming a mainstream youth cultural event, a snapshot of the broader society that unions are struggling to engage.

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