Ausgrid management have announced that 20 skilled local jobs will be off- shored to India revealing management’s true plans about the future of jobs at Ausgrid.

Workers in the GIS (Geographic Information System) section will be placed in re-deployment while their jobs are given to foreign workers in India. Currently GIS employ 77 workers and management have said this will reduce to 45 in a decision that makes NO BUSINESS SENSE.

A contract has been awarded to TATA Consulting Services, the multi-billion dollar Indian conglomerate, after Ausgrid Management reassured all workers that they would be looking for opportunities to BRING SERVICES BACK IN-HOUSE AND NOT OUTSOURCE.
ETU & USU members should be under no illusion that this is the first step in management’s bigger picture and desire to contract our local jobs at the expense of Australian workers.

WHEN THE NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM ARRIVED THEY SAID JOBS WOULD BE SAFE – IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT MANAGEMENT LIED. WHO WILL BE NEXT? 457 LINE WORKERS, OFF- SHORING IT SERVICES, CONTRACTING OUT ADMIN SERVICES…

WHY THE DEAL IS BAD FOR BUSINESS…

  1. Ausgrid will be paying Australian workers to sit in re-deployment while paying off-shore workers to do the job of locals.
  2. Sensitive network information including design diagrams will be in the hands of a foreign company representing a potential safety risk
  3. Ausgrid management will lose oversight and control with workers based in India

ETU & USU IMPOSE A BAN ON MEMBERS TRAINING CONTRACTORS

In response the ETU and USU are immediately placing a ban on any ETU or USU member from training contractors that have been engaged to replace Ausgrid workers. After management lied about standing by job guarantees and protecting local jobs we have been left with no other option but to refuse to train replacement contract labour.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY ETU & USU MEMBERS SHOULD REFUSE TO TRAIN ANY CONTRACTOR ENGAGED TO REPLACE AUSGRID WORKERS