ETU members at Canberra electricity company Evoenergy will walk off the job on Tuesday to fight for a fair pay deal.
Up to 200 ETU members will stop work at Evoenergy’s Greenway depot between 10am and 2pm on Tuesday, July 25 to protest a “pathetic” pay offer that would cut workers’ real wages.
The company has offered a 9.5% pay rise over three years, but ETU NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Allen Hicks says the deal is worth even less than that.
“ETU members are sending Evoenergy a clear message that they will not accept a cut to their real wages. Let’s be clear, management’s offer will reduce the value of workers’ take home pay
“The 9.5% offer is actually worth just 8% because the company wants to deny workers 1.5% in superannuation that every other Australian worker will get.
“It would leave Evoenergy employees on the lowest superannuation of any electricity distributor in NSW or the ACT.
“This pathetic 8% wages offer over three years is way below the cost of living. It’s a disrespectful offer that fails to recognise the great work that Evoenergy employees do every day – maintaining a safe and reliable network in the ACT.
“Inflation was 5.6% to May in this year alone. We’ve had 12 interest rate hikes and huge cost pressures on every front.
“ETU members are simply asking for a pay rise consistent with the cost of living. It’s unfortunate that we’ve been forced to take industrial action to achieve that very reasonable demand.”
Evoenergy is a Canberra-based electricity company and subsidiary of ActewAGL, a partnership between AGL Energy and Icon Water.
Mr Hicks said Tuesday’s strike, the first in many years at Evoenergy, was just the start unless the company was willing to compromise.
More than 90% of ETU members voting in a protected action ballot support the industrial action.
‘The ETU calls on the directors of Evoenergy to tell Evoenergy management to get back to the negotiating table and offer real wage increases consistent with the cost of living,’ Mr Hicks said.
“Until that happens, ETU members at Evoenergy will continue to take industrial action to achieve our reasonable demands for wages that meet the soaring costs that our members face.”
The union said that members were committed to protecting community safety during the industrial action, and would be available for emergency and unplanned work where there was imminent risk to the public.
