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NT power workers take action
DARWIN — Power station workers, control room operators, technicians and other workers covered by the Communication, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) have held a series of workplace meetings and vowed to continue industrial action in response to the failure of the Power and Water Corporation to address staff shortages.
CEPU organiser Alan Patton told ABC Radio on November 29 that "About four years ago a report come out to say that we've lost 70 service workers out of 300 and lost 40 technicians out of about 160".
The CEPU is particularly concerned about increasing work-related stress and hazards facing many power workers, especially understaffed maintenance crews.
Power and Water manager Kim Wood dismissed the union's claims and the company took out a full-page advertisement in the NT News on November 28, followed a few days later with a half-page ad, warning of power shortages and blackouts due to industrial action.
Patton told ABC Radio that the ads are just part of a scare campaign. "There is no way known that our industrial action will lead to the power being turned off. The only reason the power will go out is due to the system itself ... the system is in disarray." He added that there will be "call-out crews on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week even if we take industrial action".
Maintenance and safety problems with the power system were displayed on December 1 when a hotel employee received a 200-volt shock when he touched two poles outside his workplace.
Jon Lamb
CPSU calls for better pay deal
DARWIN — The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) in the Northern Territory is calling upon public servants to reject the latest pay offer from the territory Labor government of 11% over three years.
Since negotiations began in August for a new enterprise agreement, government negotiators have ruled out any wage increase beyond 5% in the first year followed by a 3% increase for each of the following two years. The CPSU has pointed out that this amounts to 3.7% per annum, below the national average for public servants of 4.3%.
The CPSU is campaigning for a minimum of 10% over two years. The government acknowledged that the last enterprise agreement (6% over two years) was low, and agreed to redress this in the new agreement.
A ballot will be conducted on December 8-21.
Jon Lamb
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, December 8, 2004.
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