Marcus Pabian, Melbourne
On July 28, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) scored another victory in its ambitious campaign to institute a 36-hour week, improve working conditions and increase the number of apprentices in the Victorian power industry, when the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) was forced to sign an agreement to phase in the 36-hour week.
Since the privatisation of the State Electricity Company (SEC) in 1992, workers employed by contractors now account for 40% of the workforce maintaining electricity lines in Victoria.
The buckling of NECA was the second blow for the remaining block of four power companies, which are determined to prevent union-led reform of the industry.
On June 1, the original block of five transmission and distribution companies — Texas Utilities, AGL, Power Corp, Singapore Power and Alinta — was broken. Alinta, which services 15% of Victoria's electricity customers, signed an agreement to phase in the 36-hour week by 2006, increase pay by 4% each year for three years and employ one apprentice for every four tradespeople, previously a ratio of 1:20.
According to the ETU, the skills shortage, arising from a chronic lack of new apprenticeships in the industry, is as a result of privatisation. Prior to privatisation, the SEC employed 350 apprentices at any one time. In February this year there were only 30-40 apprentices, compared to Country Energy across the border in NSW, which has 260 apprentices. Texas Utilities has only employed one apprentice in the last eight years.
After June 1, under pressure from an effective industrial campaign, Texas Utilities was almost ready to follow Alinta. However, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission stepped in. Dean Mighell, secretary of the ETU, told Green Left Weekly that the AIRC decided "to terminate the bargaining period for six weeks and give the employers a massive free kick". This banned the union from taking any legal industrial action.
However, the June 25 Herald Sun reported that at Texas Utilities a dramatic increase in sick leave occurred as the daily average of 10 absences from sickness soared to between 200 and 250.
"Our members are sticking together ... their demands for the 36-hour week and apprenticeships have not wavered", said Mighell, confirming that they wanted to see 200-300 new apprenticeships.
A month later, the July 26 Australian reported that many large commercial development projects in Melbourne still had no power from the grid. In response, the Property Council of Australia is gathering information for an appeal to the federal workplace relations minister, Kevin Andrews, for intervention.
Despite the ban on the ETU taking legal industrial action, Mighell says there is still "plenty of fight left in the troops ... there is an ongoing industrial campaign in the industry".
From Green Left Weekly, August 4, 2004.
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