Essential Energy has been granted permission to slash another 600 regional jobs by 30 June 2018 and make forcibly redundant an unlimited number of staff from the 1 July 2018 onwards. It has been confirmed that they will be replaced with outsourced contractors.
The Fair Work Commission made the decision despite admitting that these jobs losses could have a substantial impact on workers and regional communities.
Essential Energy has reduced their employee numbers by 1,400 since 2010-11. In Eden-Monaro jobs have gone from Queanbeyan, Bega, Cooma, Yass, Tumut, Tumbarumba, Braidwood, Jindabyne, Bombala and Moruya.
Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, is extremely concerned about the impact these job losses will have on families across the region, raising the issue in Parliament today.
“We know only too well the devastating economic and social impact these jobs losses will have on our rural and regional towns", Dr Kelly said.
“The fact that the Baird Government has allowed a publicly-owned company to do this is yet another example of Liberal Government’s failing to listen to regional and rural Australia - and a National Party too weak to stop them.
“I don’t know how many times Liberals and Nationals need to be told or how many Orange by-elections there will have to be before they get the message that we’re not going to put up with this devastation of our communities any more.
“I want to thank the Electrical Trades Union and the United Services Union for standing up for our workers. I join them in demanding that the NSW Government intervene to stop these job losses and provide help for any Essential Energy workers that lose their jobs, including retraining, small business advice, and recognition of skills and training.” Source
